Photo courtesy of Hamilton Township Police Department
The search for 4-year-old Emerie Schandorf-Woode came to a tragic end when her body was discovered in a pond near her Ohio home.
Hamilton Township Police Chief Scott Hughes tearfully announced
the recovery of Emerie’s body on Monday, reported WXIX. Her body was around 8 p.m. on Sunday.The chief said children often went to the pond to catch fish.
“Our worst fears came true,” Hughes said during a news conference. “This sucks. This just sucks. She was four years old. I’ve been in this job for a long time and this is, without a doubt, the most tragic press conference I’ve ever done.”
A coroner determined drowning was the cause of death.
Emerie was reported missing on Sunday from her home in the Turning Leaf subdivision in Maineville. A video recorded by Ring doorbell camera showed the little girl walking down her driveway barefoot around noon on Sunday.
Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted Hamilton Township Police with the search including the FBI, Ohio State Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Warren County Sherrif’s office, Mason police and the Warren County Dive Rescue and Recovery Team. An Amber alert was not issued because there was no evidence of a kidnapping. Helicopters, K-9 units and drones were also deployed during the rescue effort.
Civilians participated in the search efforts and provided refreshments for first responders. The community rallied around her family in the aftermath of the devastating discovery. A person who claimed to live across the street from Emerie’s relatives raised over $36,000 for the family on GoFundMe.
“The community has been phenomenal. You can see the food and the water stuff. Everybody’s coming together,” Hughes said during the search.
“Hamilton Township is a very quiet, safe and close-knit community, so you can just see from the outpouring of support here when something like this happens everyone comes together and that’s exactly what they are doing.”
Rest in peace, sweet Emerie.