HAMILTON TWP. — The family of a 4-year-old girl who had been missing since Sunday thanked the community for their support, according to our news partners at WCPO.
Her body was discovered just before 8:00 p.m. in a pond near her home after an hours-long search on Sunday, the Hamilton Twp. Police Department confirmed on social media. She had been reported missing around 12:30 p.m.
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“Our worst fears came true,” Hamilton Twp. Police Chief Scott Hughes said during a press conference.
Hughes said a dive team and those searching in boats found her body “around the outside of the pond near where the rocks were,” WCPO reported.
Neighbors quickly established a memorial next to the pond at Turning Leaf to honor Emrie Schandorf-Woode.
Emrie went missing in the Turning Leaf subdivision. Video captured by a ring camera showed Emrie walking away from her driveway without shoes on.
The Hamilton Twp. Police Department said K9 units, drones and foot searches were also utilized to locate Emrie.
“We’ve been watching on television, and you don’t realize that it could happen to anybody,” said Emrie’s father, Kube Schandorf-Woode, at a news conference Monday afternoon according to WCPO.
“I want to tell the community that we saw their love. We felt their love. We appreciate their support. We know nothing will bring Emrie back, but they showed us that we are not alone.”
Neighbors visited the memorial Monday, dropping off balloons, flowers, candles and stuffed animals.
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Several police and fire agencies, as well as the FBI, assisted Hamilton Twp. in the search, WCPO reported.
Police said there was no indication Emrie was taken and foul play was not suspected. Her cause of death has not been determined.