KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville police said one of its K-9s and its handler have returned from Texas after looking for the last remaining missing child who was lost when flood waters hit Camp Mystic over the 4th of July weekend.
K-9 Pearl and her handler, Candy Stooksbury, searched for more than a week for 8-year-old Cile Steward from Austin, Texas.
More than 750 girls were staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp in Kerr County, when floodwaters swept through the Guadalupe River area during the 4th of July weekend.
The Porcelain hound is the Knoxville Police Department Search and Recovery team’s only K-9.
“Physically, her size makes her perfect, especially for natural disasters. She can fit in all kind of places,” Stooksbury said.
Pearl is trained to look for missing people and locate human remains. Stooksbury and Pearl are both volunteers. They stepped into the role after seeing a lack of resources.
“I became very passionate about it,” she said. “Just from the standpoint that I couldn’t imagine someone in my family being missing and not having a resource like this to go find them.”
The duo deployed to Central Texas after being requested by a non-profit.
For ten days straight, Stooksbury and Pearl searched day and night for the last missing girl from Camp Mystic.
Dozens of deaths were reported in Kerr County, among them 27 campers and counselors from the camp. Three of those victims were other young girls from Austin: 8-year-old campers Linnie McCown, Abby Pohl and Mary Stevens.
“They gave us a physical description and what last clothes she wore,” she said. “We’re not even searching for an entire body, more like a piece of bone.”
According to Camp Mystic, at least 27 campers and counselors died from the floodwaters of the Guadalupe River.
“It’s hard for an adult, but emotions are high when there is a child missing,” Stooksbury said.
“The biggest thing is that I wish I can do more, that’s usually how I feel when I get back,” she said. “I wish I can do more because there’s such a need.”
The unit searched for miles in the scorching heat under the Texas sun.
“We searched the entire river,” she said.
As for this pair — they stay ready, always training for the next call.
