The 9-year-old girl whose uncle took her forcibly from school earlier this month is now home with her father. She was rescued Thursday inside a Tennessee barn where suspect Gary Simpson holed her up.
New York Daily News said Carlie Trent seemed OK and not hurt during the entire abduction drama but was immediately taken to a nearby hospital after she was found. It took eight days before the authorities were led to a barn in the rural part of Tennessee.
'Huge Relief'
"It's really really scary when you don't know what's going on," Simpson's wife, Linda, said. "I'm just thankful to have her back. It's a huge relief."
The aunt added that the family and the entire town will celebrate her coming back. "I'm going to try and just love her and have her dad take care of her," she added, noting that her husband deserves where he is right now.
The same report highlighted that Trent's uncle fetched her from school on May 4, telling her that her father figured in a car accident. Authorities looked for them everywhere, but failed to locate them for more than a week.
Rescued By Residents
Thanks to Hawkins County residents Donnie Lawson, Stuart Franklin, Larry Hamblen, and Baptist minister Roger Carpenter who found Simpson and Carlie inside one of the barns in the community. One of them pointed a gun at the uncle while the other helped secure the kid.
According to NBC News, the 57-year-old suspect is now held on a hefty $1 million bond. He is facing charges of custodial interference and aggravated kidnapping after taking away her niece for eight days.
Independent mentioned that Simpson was the previous guardian of Carlie and her younger sister before their father, James Trent, took custody of them. However, the father said that Simpson seemed obsessed with his daughter.
"He wanted her, and he wanted her all to himself," James added. "That's a scary thing to think about."
