US: 4-year-old girl missing since 2019 found alive, hidden in secret room under stairs in

In a shocking incident, a young girl who went missing 2 years ago was finally found hiding under a staircase in a home in the town of Saugerties, in the Hudson River Valley. Paislee Shultis, who is now 6 years old, went missing from her Cayuga Heights home when she was just 4 years old. At the time when Shulti's missing report was submitted, police officials believed that her non-custodial parents, Kimberly Cooper and Kirk Shultis Jr were the main culprits.

On February 14, Saugerties police received a hint that the missing girl had been hiding at one of the homes on the street. The police department quickly obtained a search warrant and reached the location. However, the owner of the house denied having any knowledge about the girl when detectives and New York State Police came for an investigation on Monday night, reported NBC New York.

US: 4-year-old girl who was missing since 2019 found hidden under the staircase

After hours of searching, the police officials suddenly noticed a closed staircase leading to the basement of the home. Shockingly, the investigation officers found the 6-year-old, along with Kimberley Cooper, hiding in a "makeshift room," which was beneath a closed staircase that led to the house’s basement. They were safely evacuated from that place, Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said in a statement, "A little over an hour into the search of the residence, the child was located secreted in a makeshift room, under a closed staircase leading to the basement of the residence," reported NBC New York.

The little girl was taken to the hospital to get checked up. She was found in good health, the hospital authorities reported. The law enforcement officials arrested both Cooper and Kirk Shultis Jr, along with their father, Kirk Shultis Sr Cooper, 33, was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and for committing custodial interference, while the younger Shultis was charged with felony custodial interference and misdemeanour child endangerment.

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