A joint rescue operation saved a 12-year-old autistic girl who had wandered onto a PetSmart rooftop in Lake City on Wednesday evening.
According to a Lake City Police Department (LCPD) release, officers responded to PetSmart (225 NW Commons Loop) at 9:30 p.m. to the report of a missing child.
Upon arrival, officers contacted a mother of an autistic child who wandered away in the store. The mother believed her daughter was looking at the cats available for adoption but could not find the child. A customer said she saw a young girl who was last seen walking toward the back of the store.
The mother told officers that her daughter was autistic and, based on her past behavior, may have been looking for a stray cat to pet.
Officers searched the area and one officer spotted the girl on the roof of the PetSmart building. Attempts to call the girl down were unsuccessful and, and when one officer climbed to the roof, the girl became frightened and ran to the opposite side of the building and sat on the edge of the roof.
Lake City Fire Department (LCFD) and Columbia EMS responded to the incident and, after talking to the mother, emergency responders initiated a rescue attempt in which the mother and firefighter were taken to the roof using the LCFD tower truck. This attempt was also unsuccessful as the girl ran to the back side of the building and attempted to slide down a gutter pipe.
Emergency responders were able to place a ladder beneath the girl, which supported her and prevented a fall. The child still refused to come down and, instead, climbed back toward the roof. At that point, two LCPD officers and an LCFD firefighter were positioned above the girl and were able to grab her.
The girl was transferred to the LCFD tower truck and lowered to the ground with her mother.
“Thanks to the keen observation of our patrol officers who spotted her on the roof, we were able to initiate a swift and coordinated response between Police, Fire, and EMS,” said Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler in the release. “We are grateful to have access to specialty rescue equipment in Lake City, such as LCFD’s tower truck, which ultimately helped save this girl’s life.”
An investigation continues into the circumstances of the incident, including how the child was able to leave the store unnoticed, how she gained access to the roof, and what resources are available to help the family ensure this does not happen again, according to the release.