The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation asked the public for help searching remote areas for a missing 9-year-old.
That's what Stewart Franklin and Donnie Lawson were doing when they came across Gary Simpson and Carlie Trent, whom he had taken from school under false pretenses, Thursday in a remote area of Hawkins County, according to CNN.
"These are two heroes who went on their property just to see if they were there," Mark Gwyn, bureau director told CNN. "The public is who rescued Carlie and without their assistance I wouldn't be standing here tonight."
Franklin and Lawson found them in rough terrain in Hawkins County, according to CNN.
Franklin held Simpson at gunpoint as Lawson called law enforcement. Trent was found clutching a teddy bear, according to CNN. She appeared to be safe but was taken to a hospital.
The two men were part of a group of four who spent three days looking for the girl, according to CNN.
Simpson, 57, is married to the sister of Trent's father. The families live close to one another in rural Hawkins County.
Cox Media Group
