The 9-year-old girl from Tennessee who was allegedly abducted by her uncle has been found safe on Thursday. Surprisingly, it was not the Tennesse Bureau of Investigation (TBI) that rescued her, but two strangers who held the uncle at gunpoint as they waited for law enforcement officers to arrive.
The 9-year-old Carlie Marie Trent was found by the heroic strangers in Hawkins County, East Tennesse. She was allegedly abducted by her uncle, Gary Thompson, who is currently in custody and charged with aggravated kidnapping.
"Carlie is safe tonight because of an entire community pulling together with law enforcement to bring her home," TBI director Mark Gwyn said during a press conference via Fox News. The officials added that there are currently no indications that Carlie was harmed by her uncle.
UPDATED: TBI: 'Heroes' rescue missing East Tennessee girl Carlie Trent https://t.co/DxKSXs8yCd pic.twitter.com/2iYxr0FT9Z
— knoxnews (@knoxnews) May 12, 2016
The heroic strangers who rescued Carlie Marie Trent were Donnie Lawson and Roger Carpenter. The pair was monitoring properties as the TBI advised citizens to do, when they found the girl with her uncle in the rural area of East Tennessee.
Carpenter -- a minister in a Baptist church - pointed a gun at Simpson while Lawson called the authorities. "I think this is a clear message to the public that we need your help on these kind of cases," Gwyn explained.
The TBI explained on Wednesday that the case was more than just a custody dispute and that the girl could be in imminent danger. The bureau even placed Simpson in its top 10 most wanted list.
Simpson is married to the sister of Carlie's biological father, James Trent, and the couple used to be the guardians of the girl. However, Trent won a custody battle and her daughter was returned to her. Carlie Marie Trent disappeared after being picked up by Gary Simpson from school on May 4 without the permission of James Trent, NBC News reports.
