Local

Investigators credit quick-thinking hospital employee in rescue of 4-year-old Lakeland girl

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A 4-year-old Lakeland girl who was reported missing Saturday was found Monday at a Memphis hospital, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Rebecca Lewis, 4, was found at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Polk County deputies confirmed.

“(It’s) like the world has been lifted of our shoulders. We are going to get her and bring her back,” Lewis’ dad said late Monday.

%

INLINE

%

An employee of the hospital spotted Lewis in a car outside the hospital with her suspected kidnapper, West Wild Hogs, and recognized them from TV coverage of her disappearance, deputies said.

When Lewis was found, Amber Alerts had been activated in five states.

INTERACTIVE: Map shows Rebecca Lewis sightings

The little girl is expected to be reunited with her family Tuesday.

"I just want to go get my daughter and bring her home to her brothers and sisters," Lewis' mother, Melissa Schell, said. "(I'm) just glad she's safe and we thank everybody that has helped us along the way.

"Media, Facebook, everybody."

Hogs was taken into custody at the scene, authorities said.

"It goes into the importance of Amber Alerts and looking at details and looking at photos and calling local law enforcement that they are in,” a Tennessee police officer said.

READ: How is an Amber Alert issued?

The 4-year-old girl who was kidnapped from Lakeland, Florida, was spotted with Hogs Sunday night by a Tennessee park ranger, but the ranger did not know who she was because an Amber Alert had not been issued at that time in Tennessee.

Visibly angry, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during the news conference that he requested that the state issue an Amber Alert for Lewis, but officials refused his request.

“The state of Tennessee chose not to do an Amber Alert when we asked them to,” he said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Amber Alert Monday afternoon, but officials have not released an explanation as to why they didn’t issue the alert when Judd asked.

Judd said state officials didn’t think there was any reason to believe West Hogs and Lewis were in Tennessee.

“Here’s a news flash, Tennessee: He was there,” Judd said.

The ranger spotted the stolen gray 2012 Nissan Versa that Hogs was driving between 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday at Cove Lake State Park and asked Hogs what he was doing.

Hogs told the ranger that he was waiting for Lewis’ mother to pick her up, “which was obviously a lie,” Judd said.

%

INLINE

%

The ranger told Hogs the park was closed and that he needed to leave.

Later, the ranger saw a bulletin on the missing girl and realized he’d let the suspected kidnapper escape with Lewis.

Hogs was a former family friend who lived with Lewis and her family two years ago, Judd said.

They had no contact with him since he was kicked out for pulling a gun on the family, Judd added.

“It’s not like he’s taken off with a neighbor kid that he’s been like an uncle to,” he said.

After taking the 4-year-old from her Lakeland home, Hogs took her to a McDonald's across the street, surveillance video shows.

Lewis and Hogs were also sighted at a Forsythe, Georgia gas station along Interstate 75 several hours after she was reported missing Saturday.

Deputies said they began their search for Rebecca Saturday morning after her 16-year-old sister noticed that she was missing from her bedroom in the Lazy Dazy Retreat, a mobile home park on U.S. Highway 98 North in Lakeland.

Rebecca's parents spent more than an hour searching for her before calling deputies, investigators said.

Previous story: FDLE issues Amber Alert for 4-year-old Lakeland girl