Five-year-old girl found Wednesday

From Staff Reports

   Five-year-old Brittany Goad was found Wednesday afternoon by a passing motorist, who had just heard a radio report about the lost girl.
   The girl, who lives in Butler, had reportedly walked into the woods behind her house at 4:30 p.m., accompanied by her four pet puppies. Brittany's mother began searching for her, and when she could not find her, the girl's grandmother called 911 at 5:30 p.m. The Carter County Rescue Squad responded, and began searching an area for about a half mile behind the house.
   Officers at the Sheriff's Department said the youngster managed to climb over a steep ridge and come down to U.S. 321 near Little Milligan School -- a distance of about 1.5 miles, all up and down and over some of the most rugged terrain in Carter County, including the Pond Mountain Wilderness Area.
   The girl when found had been walking in a cold rain and was extremely wet and cold when rescuers found her. She had about 10 pounds of mud on each of her small shoes, officers said.
   Pauline Hatley said she had just heard the report on the radio as she was driving on U.S. 321. As she rounded a curve at 6:15 p.m., Hatley said she saw the little girl standing beside the road, holding tight to a guardrail. There were several puppies around her.
   Hatley told officers the puppies were very protective of the girl, but she managed to get her in the car and drove her to the residence of George White, where she called 911.
   The girl was taken to Sycamore Shoals Hospital for treatment.
   Officers said they were amazed that the search was over so quickly, since it was such rough terrain, and she was so little.