Baby Buried Alive Rescued After 9 Hours
by Sami Cone
Jul 11, 2018
It's not often we hear good news after learning a child has disappeared, but the Missoula County Sheriff's Office reported they successfully rescued a baby buried alive this week.
To say this is a miracle is an understatement, but that's exactly what the sheriff's office is calling it in this statement:
For all of us at the sheriffs office, this is what we call a miracle. For the officers who were present for this event, its especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours. Sheriff McDermott would like to thank those who assisted in the search and those who called 911, helping first responders bring this baby to safety.
You can read their entire Facebook post here:
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Members of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office were called out last night at approximately 8pm for a male suspect who was acting strange in the Lolo Hot Springs area. While deputies were enroute, additional callers indicated the male suspect was now threatening people saying he had a gun and was reaching in his pockets. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the suspect, 32-year-old Francis Carlton Crowley, had left the area and that a 5-month-old who had been left in his care had not been seen for several hours.
While attempting to locate Crowley, a 911 caller said the suspect had returned to the hot springs. Deputies responded and Crowley was apprehended. When trying to question Crowley, he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was not making sense to officers.
Statements made by Crowley indicated the baby was possibly buried somewhere in the mountains. Due to the urgency of this matter, members of Missoula County Search and Rescue were paged out to assist officers from the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Montana Highway Patrol, and Missoula County deputies in a ground search. After more than 6 hours of searching on foot, a deputy heard the faint cry of a baby. He followed the sound and found the baby alive, face down, buried under a pile of sticks and debris. Clothed in only a wet and soiled onesie, the baby was found at approximately 2:30 am, putting the infant in the woods unattended and in the cold (approximately 46 degrees) for a minimum of 9 hours. The baby was transported to a local hospital and is in good condition.
32-year-old Francis Carlton Crowley is being held at the Missoula County Detention Facility on charges of criminal endangerment and additional charges will follow.
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Sami Cone
Best-Selling Author & Speaker
Sami Cone is the best-selling author of "Raising Uncommon Kids", is known as the "Frugal Mom" on Nashville's top-rated talk show "Talk of the Town" and educates over a million listeners every day on her nationally syndicated "Family Money Minute". She is proud to call Nashville home with her husband, Rick, and their two ‘tweenage' children.
