A 12-year-old special needs child was saved from the roof of PetSmart after going missing Wednesday night.
After officers from the Lake City Police Department were called to the store around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Lake City Fire Department and Columbia EMS also responded once the child was spotted on top of the building.
Multiple attempts to rescue the child were unsuccessful before officers and a firefighter were able to safely bring her down in the LCFD’s tower truck after she had attempted to slide down a gutter pipe.
When an officer earlier had climbed to the top of the building, an LCPD release said the child was frightened and ran to the other side and sat down on the edge of the roof.
Not even her mother going up with a firefighter on the tower truck helped, as the child again went to the back of the building and tried to slide down the gutter before a ladder was placed beneath her to prevent a fall.
She then climbed back to the top where the officers and firefighter were able to secure her.
An LCPD release said the child’s mother believed her daughter — who is autistic — was looking at the cats for adoption inside the store but had wandered off. The release said someone had seen the child waking to the back of the store and the mother said she may have been looking for a stray cat to pet.
Instead, an officer spotted the girl on the roof of the building, the release said.
“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,” Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler said 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.”
The release said an investigation is ongoing to how the child was able to leave the store and gain access to the roof. First responders are also working with the family to find resources to make sure it doesn’t happen again.