A missing 9-year-old girl was discovered dead in a pond in Boone County on Saturday night, following a daylong search.
The Hamilton County Underwater Search and Recovery Unit discovered Jenny Dim’s body in a pond near her home around 7:30 p.m., according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Office update.
Jenny was last seen around 5 p.m. on MacIntosh Lane in Florence, according to an Ian Alert issued by Kentucky State Police on Friday night.
“Unfortunately, this is not the result we had hoped for. “We thank all of the first responders, the public, and the media for their assistance throughout this investigation,” state police wrote in an updated news release Saturday night.
According to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, the child was last seen wandering on Macintosh near Afton Drive. Her surname is Din.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office announced that “the Incident Command Center has discontinued the large-scale mutual aid search and rescue operations.”
“After a continuous 25-hour effort by numerous agencies and volunteers, the incident is being transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office effective immediately,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page.
“With the transfer to the Criminal Investigations Division, if you have any additional information that may assist the investigation, please continue to contact the Boone County Non-Emergency line at (859) 371-1234.”
Search and rescue teams and volunteers were still looking Saturday afternoon, and at least 20 organizations, including the FBI, state police, emergency management from numerous counties, various fire departments, and others, were participating, according to the sheriff’s office.
Citizens were requested to study home security camera footage, double-check their property, and keep an eye out for the small girl.
“The community’s response has been nothing short of extraordinary,” the sheriff’s office said in an update at 5:30 p.m.
As of 3:30 p.m. Saturday, searchers had covered approximately 4 square miles, “including several bodies of water which have been searched by Boone County Water Rescue and Hamilton County Search and Rescue,” according to a Facebook update from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. “Additional law enforcement officials from surrounding counties are also reporting to the command center to help lead search efforts.”
Hamilton and Campbell County search and rescue crews were anticipated to join Boone County teams on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office reported Saturday morning that they had traveled “approximately 7 or 8 miles by air through drones and Kentucky State Police’s helicopter, as well as 7 additional ground miles tracked by law enforcement K-9s.”
According to Kentucky State Police spokesperson Sherry Bray, the family informed searchers that the youngster “kind of likes to get into small spaces or enclosed areas,” so neighborhood members were requested to assist by checking for similar places on their property.
Sgt. Anthony Theetge of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office advised individuals in the area to check inside cars, truck beds, sheds, under decks, and beneath porches.
“We are asking you to look anywhere and everywhere that a young child would have looked for shelter and safety,” Theetge told Cincinnati television station WLWT on Saturday.
Jenny was described as Asian, standing 4 feet, 4 inches tall, and weighed 53 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and pierced ears. She was last spotted wearing a mint-blue jacket and pink headphones, although she was not wearing shoes, according to a KSP press release.
The sheriff’s office stated that she was nonverbal.
Ian Alerts are issued when a child with autism or a mental handicap goes missing or becomes endangered, according to state police.