CARROLLTON, Va. (WAVY) — Katlynn Clark, the 10-year-old girl who had been missing since early Monday morning, was found Tuesday evening about two miles from her home in Carrollton and is safe, the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
In a Tuesday evening news conference, Capt. Tommy Potter, operations commander and public information officer with the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office, revealed Clark didn’t have a plan when she left her home other than to keep walking. As it grew dark Monday night and Clark started to get cold, she spent the night in a vacant trailer on Vellines Lane. She stayed in the trailer until she got hungry then knocked on the door of the first home she saw.
“The lady answered the door and Katlynn asked her if she had any odd jobs she could do because she needed to earn some money for some food,” Potter said.
The resident recognized her picture from news reports and social media posts. The Isle of Wight 911 Center was then contacted and medics dispatched to make sure Katlynn was in good health.
“We reassured Katlynn that she is not in trouble, that we are extremely happy that she’s here and that she is safe and that she is in good health,” Potter said.
10 On Your Side cameras were rolling as Clark’s family got to speak with her inside the ambulance she was in.
Katlynn was released into the care of the Isle of Wight Social Services pending further investigation into the facts surrounding her disappearance, according to Potter.
Over the past 36 hours, a number of agencies — including Suffolk Fire and Rescue, Suffolk Police, Carrollton Fire and Rescue, York County UAS, Virginia State Police, Isle of Wight County Department of Emergency Services, Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department and the Norfolk Fire/Police UAS (Drone Unit) — helped in the search and rescue efforts.
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ISLE OF WIGHT, Va. (WAVY) — The Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office says the search for 10-year-old Katlynn Clark continued Tuesday morning.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies, along with resources from Isle of Wight County Emergency Services and other resources from surrounding localities, are actively searching for the missing girl.
The child was last seen at her home on Green Wing Drive in the Carrolton area. When her parents woke up Monday morning she was gone. Security footage shows the girl leaving out the back of her home around 6:30 a.m., according to Potter.
Katlynn Clark is described as 4 feet tall, about 80 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. She was was last seen wearing a black rain jacket, pajama pants and blue and pink shoes.
Potter confirmed to WAVY Tuesday that they were searching the Jones Creek Convenience Center on Boundary Road and near Nike Park fields.
He said at this point, her disappearance does not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert.
WAVY News 10’s Raven Payne spoke with Potter at one of the search sites Tuesday.
He said one of the most important things to do for the investigation is to look at Katlynn’s character.
“She’s a very studious young girl, she’s into books, she’s a veracious reader so when you look at that plus what we’ve been able to glean from being in their home, is that she was your typical 10 year old,” Potter said.
He confirmed Katlynn left behind her phone and did not text anyone before she left, which is out of character.
He also said her phone contacts are limited to her family, making the investigation harder.
“Right at this stage we don’t think that she had a big circle of friends or influence that she would’ve reached out to and that kind of hampers the investigation a little bit because typically when young people go missing we have a lot of friends to go talk to and they kind of give us a different insight on what they young person may have been dealing with,” he said.
Monday night, the Isle of Wight county sheriff’s office executed a search warrant at her parents’ house.
Potter told 10 On Your Side that was because they have to look at this situation from two different angles.
“We have to obviously look at it from a criminal standpoint that – could something bad have happened to Katlynn. We also have to look at it from a search and rescue perspective.”
However he said only one thing is important at the end of the day.
“We want Katlynn back safe, we want her back sound and that’s what’s important to us right now.”
Anyone with information on the child’s whereabouts should contact the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office.
