Trooper Spots Pink Dot in the Woods—It Turns Out to Be a Missing 2-Year-Old Girl

For most parents, nothing is more terrifying than the thought of their child going missing. That’s why so many families set clear rules—like always telling a parent before going outside or staying close in busy places like stores and amusement parks. But kids don’t always follow those rules. Sometimes curiosity takes over, and before they realize it, they’ve wandered too far.

It’s often after a brief adventure that kids look around and realize they’re lost. Meanwhile, their family is in full panic mode, calling the police and searching everywhere, desperate for a safe reunion before anything bad happens.

That was the case in upstate New York when a 2-year-old girl disappeared from her home in Ontario County. New York State Trooper Brian Hotchkiss had no idea his shift would turn into a life-or-death search, but when the call came in, he didn’t hesitate to help.

At first, Hotchkiss and other officers knocked on neighbors’ doors, hoping the little girl had simply wandered into a nearby yard or house. But as the day went on and nobody had seen her, the urgency grew. It was starting to get colder, and nightfall was approaching.

Knowing they needed to expand their search, Hotchkiss looked to a wooded mountain near the child’s home. He decided to hike up, hoping to get a better vantage point. From the top, he scanned the dense forest below. All he saw at first was a blur of trees—until something pink caught his eye.

He remembered the girl had been wearing a pink shirt. Without wasting a second, he made his way toward the pink spot. As he got closer, his heart raced—it was her. The 2-year-old had somehow made it all the way up the mountain by herself.

Thanks to Trooper Hotchkiss’s quick thinking and determination, a potentially tragic situation ended in relief. His sharp eye and refusal to give up led to the safe recovery of a little girl who had gone missing, and reminded us all of the critical role our first responders play in moments like these.