‘It’s just a sad day’ | Community reacts after child at center of AMBER Alert found dead
The 7-year-old was found dead in Douglas Lake after AMBER Alert was issued.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an AMBER Alert Thursday morning for missing 7-year-old Serenity Kinsey.
The AMBER Alert sounded across Tennessee at 10:23 a.m., alerting residents of the search taking place.
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However, less than an hour later, Kinsey’s body was discovered in Douglas Lake.
“The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was here helping us out and all the departments in the county were helping us out, assisting,” Sheriff Jeff Coffey said. “Neighboring counties, we had hundreds of personnel here involved in this search. It’s just a sad day.”
Kinsey was autistic and non-verbal and this is not the first time she was reported missing. The sheriff’s office said that in the other two incidents, Kinsey was found quickly and nearby.
The community around Dandridge reacted to the death, trying to make sense of the situation.
“It’s pretty upsetting,” Indian Creek dock owner said. “You know it’s the Fourth of July, it’s time for families to go out and enjoy themselves but then to wake up and see choppers flying around and boats quickly running in the water with scuba gear. It just makes me sad that something like that would happen today.”
According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of death for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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