Charlee Campbell, who was known to her family as “Mo”, had been asleep when her grandfather left for work early that morning but just a few hours later her grandmother woke to find her missing.
It was then that the girl’s grandmother, Beth Campbell, saw that the front door was open.
Charlee and her dog, Penny, were both missing without a trace.
Police officers, firefighters and sniffer dogs were drafted in to start the search, which included a large wooded area near to Charlee’s home.
Over 100 volunteers also joined the search, but almost two days passed and still there was no trace of Charlee or Penny.
The whole area was covered in posters and pictures of Charlee, who was last seen wearing blue “Frozen” pajamas.
Everyone in the small community was helping in the hunt for the missing girl, which had captured not only the attention of local media but national too.
But after 36 hours a miracle happened.
Neighbor Wayne Brown was at home praying that little Charlee would be found safe when something in his yard caught his eye.
‘Covered in tick bites’
It was a little blonde girl, covered in scratches, tick bites and leaves in her hair, according to Wayne.
He called to his son who recognized her clothing from the description and immediately called the police.
While they waited, Charlee was given much-needed supplies.
The discovery hit very close to home for Wayne whose brother had gone missing when he was small.
“My little brother went missing,” Wayne said. “He had wandered away from the home and he had climbed three fences.
“They found him miles away from the house. It was actually my uncle that found him and he was dead.”
Pit bull Jenny returns home
Wayne thanked God that Charlee hadn’t suffered the same fate.
But the story would soon take another unexpected turn.
Just minutes before Charlee appeared on Wayne’s property, her pit bull Penny had returned home to Beth.
Beth believes that Penny stopped at Charlee’s side the whole time she was away and made sure the 2-year-old was safe.
“This is our hero,” says Beth, hugging Penny.
Penny didn’t come home until she knew Charlee was safe.
Charlee was taken to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville to recover from the ordeal.
The little girl is enjoying lots of treats back with her family and even Penny is enjoying a hamburger or two, as the cherished pet that kept their little Charlee safe.
Charlee’s mother Natalie Quick wanted to thank all of the volunteers and emergency crews who helped with the search for her daughter.
Thankfully, this story ended happily and Charlee and Penny came home safe. And I really believe that Penny kept this child safe; dogs are faithful and loyal creatures!
Penny certainly realized that her best friend was in danger and was not going to leave her side.
Dogs are really amazing animals – SHARE this story if you agree!