4-Year-Old Missing Since 2019 Found Alive Under Staircase With Her Suspected Abductor
Paislee Shultis, the 4-year-old girl reported missing from her Cayuga Heights, New York home nearly three years ago, has been found alive by police.
According to Front Page Detectives, Shultis was first reported missing on July 13, 2019. At the time she was reported missing, investigators reportedly believed that her non-custodial parents – Kimberly Cooper and Kirk Shultis, Jr. – were the ones who had abducted the 4-year-old.
Then, on Monday, authorities searching Shultis Jr.’s home with a warrant reportedly discovered the missing girl after a detective noticed a part of the staircase that seemed out of place. Upon shining a flashlight into the crack of the staircase, the detective then recognized a blanket.
After removing part of the staircase, the authorities found Paislee and her suspected abductor hiding in a makeshift room. Prior to this, Shultis Jr. reportedly claimed he did not know his daughter’s whereabouts.
Following the discovery of Paislee, the police promptly arrested Cooper, 33, and charged her with custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child. Cooper was also reportedly wanted for a previous warrant out on her issued by Ulster County Family Court.
Both Shultis Jr., 32, and his father Kirk Shultis Sr., 57, were also arrested and charged with felony custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child. After their arrests, they were reportedly arraigned and subsequently released on their own recognizance – promising to appear in court when eventually required to do so.
Authorities from the Saugerties Police Department have since revealed that Paislee was in good health when found under the staircase, and she was ultimately turned over to her legal guardian before being reunited with her older sister.
Surprisingly, the Saugerties, New York police also revealed that Monday was not the first time they had interviewed Shultis Jr. and his father.
In the past, authorities reportedly interviewed both the father and son while following a lead that Paislee may have been abducted by Shultis Jr. and Cooper – but at the time of the initial interview, Shultis Jr. allegedly told the authorities that Cooper had since fled to Pennsylvania and he had not seen his daughter since before she was reported missing in July 2019.