Missing 3 Year Old Iowa Child Has Been Found Safe
Fallon Wells is a 3-year-old girl from western Iowa and on December, 30th she was reported missing. According to KCRG, the Ringgold County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation issued an Endangered Person Advisory for Fallon.
It was originally reported that law enforcement officials in western Iowa were on the lookout for two individuals driving a 1997 Oldsmobile, silver in color, and containing Missouri license plates. She was reportedly last seen with two adults, in their 50s. Other than the child, authorities were looking for Michelle Grady and Monty Parkhurst, who are believed to be involved.
If you're a parent, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandma, or have children in your life of any capacity, stories like these hit a little too close to home. Not every story that starts out with a missing child has a happy ending but thankfully, for this 3-year-old, it does.
Thankfully, Fallon was found safe in Missouri. According to KCRG, Fallon is now with law enforcement officials and human services representatives. The case will remain under investigation by the Ringgold County Sheriff's Office as well as the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
If Your Child Goes Missing
I am the uncle to 7 children, all of them under the age of 13 years old and I hold my breath a little bit when I read stories like this. You and I read and hear stories like this far too often, and sadly, they don't always end up with a safe child. Hopefully, this is a situation nobody finds themselves in but if you do have a child go missing, you should have a plan. Child Of America created a checklist of things you should do immediately if you're child is missing.
1. Call the Police Immediately - Before doing anything else, contact your local police. If you've heard about having to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing child, that's a myth. Taking immediate action is crucial to bringing a missing child home.
2 . Ask the Police To Enter Your Child Into the NCIC - The FBI's National Crime Information Center is an electronic clearinghouse of data that can be accessed by any criminal justice agency.
3. Search and Secure Your Home - Small children have been known to temporarily go missing from your house. Search inside closets, cabinets, under beds, behind furniture, under vehicles, decks, and outdoor play areas.
4. Call Child Find of America - You do not have to search for your child alone. When opening a missing child case with Child Find, an experienced caseworker will coordinate with law enforcement and allied agencies so you don't have to.
5. Practice Self-Care - While it may seem impossible, try to remain calm in these types of situations. Maintaining your composure is the best thing you can do to help bring your child home.