April 14, 2010 12:50 PM
- Text
Nadia Bloom, Missing Fla. 11-Yr-Old, Found Alive
(CBS/AP)
Updated 6:48 p.m. ET
A missing 11-year-old central Florida girl with Asperger syndrome was found alive on Tuesday, four days after she disappeared into an alligator-infested swamp a half-mile from her suburban home.
Nadia Bloom was taken to a hospital in nearby Longwood, Fla., where she will be evaluated and treated for dehydration and insect bites, said Winter Springs Police Chief Kevin Brunelle.
Photos: Nadia Bloom Found Alive
Bloom was located early Tuesday morning in waist-deep water near Lake Jessup, CBS affiliate WKMG reports.
"If I never believed in miracles, I sure do now," Brunelle said during an afternoon news conference.
Brunelle said Nadia told rescuers two things: "I'm glad you guys found me" and "I can't believe you guys rescued me."
It took nearly two hours for rescuers to carry Nadia out of the thick brush and swamp. It wasn't police who located her.
James King, a family friend who attends church with Nadia's family, discovered the girl while conducting his own search in area where rescuers weren't looking, Johnson reports. An ecstatic King sent his wife a text message saying, "I found her she's safe in my arms."
Rescue workers described the brush around Nadia as so thick they had to use machetes to clear a path to her, reports CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson. Her feet were water logged - the result of standing in the swamp for days, apparently without shoes.
Her sister has said Bloom, who has an autism-related disorder called Asperger syndrome, may have gone into the dense woods hoping to make a nature video. Her family also cited a book she had read about an adventurous girl who goes camping, Johnson reports.
King climbed a tree and unfurled toilet paper in an attempt to draw attention to where they were.
"He woke up this morning and prayed and asked the Lord to lead him," Dan Holland, pastor at the Bloom's church in Winter Springs, told WKMG. "He went into the swamp and found her. He's a guy who's determined, like any man would be, determined to find this girl and do whatever it takes."
Brunelle said he dispatched a helicopter to look for King and Nadia, but it didn't work.
Using cell phone signals, authorities found King and Nadia.
"Mr. King is a hero right now," said Brunelle. "He led us to her."
Brunelle added that detectives are questioning both King and Nadia for more details on the rescue and how the little girl spent her time while she was missing.
Brunelle did say that Nadia told them that she had not talked to anyone since going into the woods on Friday.
Authorities began searching for Nadia in wooded areas near Lake Jesup, one of the most alligator-filled lakes in Central Florida. The fifth-grader was last seen riding her bike on Friday, and authorities became alarmed when they found her bike and helmet. She did have a backpack with her.
Shortly after word came that Nadia was alive, her father briefly spoke to the media.
"It all came so fast and it just shows the compassion of the human spirit. It should give everybody encouragement," her father, Jeff Bloom, told reporters after rescue crews lifted her into an ambulance.
When asked how he felt, Bloom said: "I can't even describe it. Let's give the glory to God."
A missing 11-year-old central Florida girl with Asperger syndrome was found alive on Tuesday, four days after she disappeared into an alligator-infested swamp a half-mile from her suburban home.
Nadia Bloom was taken to a hospital in nearby Longwood, Fla., where she will be evaluated and treated for dehydration and insect bites, said Winter Springs Police Chief Kevin Brunelle.
Photos: Nadia Bloom Found Alive
Bloom was located early Tuesday morning in waist-deep water near Lake Jessup, CBS affiliate WKMG reports.
"If I never believed in miracles, I sure do now," Brunelle said during an afternoon news conference.
Brunelle said Nadia told rescuers two things: "I'm glad you guys found me" and "I can't believe you guys rescued me."
It took nearly two hours for rescuers to carry Nadia out of the thick brush and swamp. It wasn't police who located her.
James King, a family friend who attends church with Nadia's family, discovered the girl while conducting his own search in area where rescuers weren't looking, Johnson reports. An ecstatic King sent his wife a text message saying, "I found her she's safe in my arms."
Rescue workers described the brush around Nadia as so thick they had to use machetes to clear a path to her, reports CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson. Her feet were water logged - the result of standing in the swamp for days, apparently without shoes.
Her sister has said Bloom, who has an autism-related disorder called Asperger syndrome, may have gone into the dense woods hoping to make a nature video. Her family also cited a book she had read about an adventurous girl who goes camping, Johnson reports.
King climbed a tree and unfurled toilet paper in an attempt to draw attention to where they were.
"He woke up this morning and prayed and asked the Lord to lead him," Dan Holland, pastor at the Bloom's church in Winter Springs, told WKMG. "He went into the swamp and found her. He's a guy who's determined, like any man would be, determined to find this girl and do whatever it takes."
Brunelle said he dispatched a helicopter to look for King and Nadia, but it didn't work.
Using cell phone signals, authorities found King and Nadia.
"Mr. King is a hero right now," said Brunelle. "He led us to her."
Brunelle added that detectives are questioning both King and Nadia for more details on the rescue and how the little girl spent her time while she was missing.
Brunelle did say that Nadia told them that she had not talked to anyone since going into the woods on Friday.
Authorities began searching for Nadia in wooded areas near Lake Jesup, one of the most alligator-filled lakes in Central Florida. The fifth-grader was last seen riding her bike on Friday, and authorities became alarmed when they found her bike and helmet. She did have a backpack with her.
Shortly after word came that Nadia was alive, her father briefly spoke to the media.
"It all came so fast and it just shows the compassion of the human spirit. It should give everybody encouragement," her father, Jeff Bloom, told reporters after rescue crews lifted her into an ambulance.
When asked how he felt, Bloom said: "I can't even describe it. Let's give the glory to God."
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