MISSING CHILD FOUND
"Those vertical cliffs are covered with loose shale. You could very easily fall to your death." - David Rouse Bath Police Chief

PHOTO BY ROB RICE Police and sheriff's deputies supervise a Bath ambulance in which 10-year-old Samantha Williams received initial treatment after walking out of the woods Friday morning.

BATH - "I have wonderful news," Bath Police Chief David Rouse said late Friday morning, signaling the end of an intensive search for a child missing for nearly 17 hours. "Samantha Williams has been found, alive and well."

The police chief's announcement marked the end of anxious search for the 10-year-old girl by fire, environmental and law enforcement officials from across the region.

Samantha was reportedly located around 10 a.m. under the Interstate 86 Exit 39 underpass on Babcock Hollow Road, several miles east of where she went missing in Mossy Bank Park Thursday evening.

Rescuers waited for roughly half an hour near the underpass to reunite the child with her mother before opting to transport Samantha to Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital where the reunion occurred.

Rouse said the 4-foot, 6-inch, 110-pound girl sustained cuts and abrasions, and possibly hypothermia, but was otherwise unharmed.

"She is one very lucky girl," Rouse told the media gathered around the village police station Friday. "I cannot emphasize enough how rugged the terrain up there is."

Rescue operations were launched Thursday night around 6 p.m., when Samantha was reported missing by her mother, Emily Williams. The Williams family, including two younger siblings, had gone to the popular park's playground when Samantha disappeared.

The 170-acre park, owned by the village of Bath, features play and picnic areas, a fenced overlook, lodges and a pavilion, and miles of trails through dense foliage. Officials were especially concerned about the parks' gorges, with 25-50 foot vertical drops.

"Those vertical cliffs are covered with loose shale," Rouse said. "You could very easily fall to your death."

Bath Volunteer Fire Chief Mark Conrad said rescuers were concerned because only about two hours of daylight remained after Samantha was reported missing.

Initially, dozens of Bath Volunteer fire fighters were joined by state police and environmental officers, Bath village police, Steuben County Sheriff deputies, helicopters and K-9 units.

While focused on treating the report as a lost child in hazardous terrain, police did not rule out abduction or foul play, or danger from wildlife in the park. A large bear has been sighted recently in the park, adding to local residents' alarm.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Lt. Joe Shafer said there was little reason for worry the bear might have attacked the child.

"We weren't at all worried," Shafer said. "That was never a concern for us."

Wild animals typically have to be provoked to attack, he said.

When the sun rose, a fresh team of volunteers began to scour the area and called dispatch to send up ice and sandwiches for the long day ahead.

And a driver several miles away spotted a little girl in a purple T-shirt and capri blue jeans walking down the road and called the police.

"She told investigators she got lost, wandered around a little, but she's scared of the dark," Rouse said. "So she laid down for a while, got some sleep, got up and kept moving."

At the time of the press conference, officials did not know how she negotiated her way from the park to the spot where she was found.

"All I can say at this point is, she was a very lucky girl," Rouse said.

Later Friday, Rouse reported the girl was treated and released from Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital and was recovering at home.