Searchers discovered the lifeless body of a four-year-old autistic girl who had gone missing from her family’s rental home in Florida.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office released a statement disclosing the discovery of Evelyn K. Geer’s body near the waterline, just behind the vacation rental in Port Charlotte, Florida. Evelyn had been reported missing at 1 a.m. on Friday, June 2, and her body was recovered six hours later.
The expansive search effort took place 30 miles north of Fort Myers, and involved the use of aviation units and a trained bloodhound. The date for the post-mortem examination has not been set, according to Claudette Smith, the public information officer for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office noted that Evelyn was found during an intensive search operation that included assistance from a boat linked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Evelyn had reportedly wandered away from her family’s temporary home at a Vrbo property (owned by Expedia Group). The family had been displaced due to Hurricane Ian the previous September. Tragically, the rental property lacked a deadbolt lock, a security measure the family often used due to Evelyn’s condition.
Recordings of a heartrending 911 call made by Evelyn’s mother, who bears the same name, were released by the sheriff’s office. Amidst sobs, she described her daughter as clad only in a diaper, with long brown hair styled in a ponytail.
Public information officer Smith relayed to the press that Evelyn’s body was found behind houses on Barksdale Street, Port Charlotte, adjacent to a canal, shortly after 7 a.m. Local resident Steve Stotler reported being awakened by helicopters at 4 a.m. and later being informed by an officer about the missing girl.
