A 7-year-old girl who wandered away from her family farm and into a cornfield was found unharmed about two hours later Thursday evening.
According to Swift County Sheriff Scott Mattison, his office received a report from Phil Schwenk around 6:40 p.m. that his daughter was missing from their farm in Dublin Township south of Murdock. Deputies determined the girl had been missing since about 6 p.m. and that she likely wandered into a cornfield and became disoriented.
Neighbors, deputy sheriffs, members of the Murdock First Responders and of the Murdock, DeGraff and Kerkhoven fire departments and State Troopers formed a perimeter around the section. Canine units from the Pope and Chippewa county sheriff's offices determined where the girl entered the field and the search began.
At 8:06 p.m. shortly before darkness fell, the girl walked out of the cornfield into the arms of a member of the Murdock Fire Department. She was nearly a mile from where she had disappeared, the sheriff notes. Aside from being distraught, she appeared to be in good physical condition and she was very happy to be reunited with her family.
Mattison also noted that it was a wonderful outcome and that he was very proud of the teamwork and coordination demonstrated by all of the responding agencies.
