2 charged after toddler goes missing, prompting massive search in Washington County
ALLENPORT, Pa. (KDKA) — A mom and her boyfriend are facing charges after a 2-year-old girl went missing, prompting a massive hours-long search in Washington County last month.
Police have filed charges against Rachel Paris and Curtis Givens, saying they knew the toddler liked to wander but didn't do enough to secure the house before she disappeared overnight on Aug. 27.
When police got to the home on High Road in Allenport around 12:30 a.m. that night, Paris told police that her daughter had walked out of the house and had last been seen 20 minutes ago. First responders launched a search, using several police and fire departments, EMS crews, K-9 units, thermal drones, boats and a helicopter.
After about 3.5 hours, police said the girl was found several hundred yards from her home on a porch, wearing nothing but a soiled pair of shorts. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation, and the criminal complaint said neither Paris nor Givens ever went to check on her.
According to court paperwork, it wasn't the first time the girl had gone missing. On Aug. 2, police said she had escaped and was later found at an auto repair shop on Route 88. Police said Paris and Givens knew the girl liked to wander, and after she went missing earlier in the month, they hadn't done enough to stop her.
"The house is not secure nor has any type of child safety prevention devices which would prohibit a child leaving the residence," the officer wrote in the criminal complaint.
Lindsey Harris and her husband were part of the search. She said they combed the neighborhood and nearby woods into the early morning hours. When she heard a K-9 followed her scent to the river, she immediately feared the worst.
"I dont know how you can let a 2-year-old out of the house without realizing she's out," Harris said.
Both Paris and Givens are charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.
