For nearly 27 hours, people in Michigan and across the country held their breath during an extensive search for a 2-year-old girl who wandered away from a northern Michigan campsite.
There was a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when Michigan State Police said Gabriella Vitale had been found and she was safe.
Vitale was reported missing by her family around 8:30 a.m. Monday. Her family said they were packing up their campsite on Reber Road west of M-33 in Oscoda County when they lost track of their toddler.
The Vitale family is from the Monroe area and they were camping on state land.
Numerous police agencies assisted in the search for Gabriella, including about 20 DNR conservation officers.
Tuesday, a group of people on a retreat at a cabin less than a half a mile from where Gabriella disappeared found the girl. She was on their porch, safe.
The group had been monitoring the news and recognized the girl immediately. They called police and DNR Lt. Brandon Kieft was the first to respond to the scene.
“I asked her if she wanted to go see mommy and she lit up – she came right to me and gave me a big hug,” Kieft said.
Other than some scrapes and minor bruises, she was in good condition for being on her own in the woods for more than 24 hours. Kieft gave her some food while she was evaluated by EMS.
“It was very emotional to see Gabriella reunited with her family – her mother took her into her arms and collapsed to the floor,” Kieft said.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.