Search for child in Eastern KY suspended; Radio transmission had raised concern for safety
A brief radio transmission from what sounded like a child who called herself “Annie” led to an extensive search in Clay County Friday night and early Saturday.
Around midnight, Clay County Emergency Management said they were “investigating a report of what appears to be an elementary age child that may have been in a car accident in an unknown location.”
The child was heard speaking through “a VHF handheld radio on an emergency frequency,” officials said in a Facebook post. They said “the initial radio transmission was very short and has not continued since first contact.”
By early Saturday morning, the search had been suspended, as at least 20 people had spent seven hours searching with no results, said Revelle Berry, deputy director of Clay County Emergency Management.
“We have not gotten any reports of anyone missing or unaccounted for,” she said in a telephone interview early Saturday afternoon. “There has been no further development ... to make us now believe that a child is in danger.”
Berry said she thinks it’s likely the transmission, which came in just after 11 p.m., was either a prank or a small child playing with a handheld radio. But, she said, “we have got to take everything seriously.”
Berry said officials were continuing to work with software and communications experts Saturday to try to get more information about the transmission.
She said they reached out to public schools in the area during the search “trying to follow up with anyone that may have had the name Annie.”
And a six-mile radius was covered by searchers, many of whom are volunteer firefighters who donated their time and fuel.
“There was a lot of road miles driven just trying to look for some vehicle that may have had an accident,” Berry said.
Officials asked people to check in on friends or family members who fit the description Saturday morning, since no missing persons reports had been received.
Berry said it’s important for people to teach young children about the proper use of 911 and communication devices.
She said emergency management officials in Bell County recently had a situation involving a call about an officer down that turned out to be false, but that incident involved a recording.
In this instance, she said two dispatchers spoke with the person asking for help and tried to ask them questions.
“It was probably less than 30 seconds total,” she said.
But, she added, “we take any call for help seriously.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 12:06 PM.
