SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — Paislee Shultis was four-years-old when she was reported missing from her Cayuga Heights home on July 13, 2019. Now she’s been found safe in a secret room under a staircase in Saugerties, New York, according to law enforcement authorities.
When the girl was reported missing from her residence, police initially suspected the girl’s non-custodial parents, but no charges were ever filed, according to CBS 6 News.
The New York State Police acted on a tip that Paislee was being hidden in the Hudson Valley town about 150 miles from her legal guardian.
Paislee’s non-custodial parents, Kirk Shultis Jr. and Kimberly Cooper (NYSD via New York Post)
Police in Saugerties said on Monday that detectives searched a home on Fawn Road with a warrant. There, they spoke with the residents, including Paislee’s biological father, Kirk Shultis Jr., who denied knowing the girl’s whereabouts.
However, an observant detective located an odd section of staircase that didn’t seem right. As a result, the investigator shined a light into a crack and saw what appeared to be a blanket.
Consequently, police removed several of the steps and discovered the missing girl and her accused abductor, Paislee’s non-custodial mother, Kimberly Cooper, according to CBS 6.
Police described the secreted area as a dark, wet, makeshift room.
Paislee was found in a secret room under a staircase. (Saugerties Police Department)
Paislee was examined by paramedics and found to be in fine health, police said.
Police arrested Cooper, 33, and charged her with custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child. Furthermore, she was also wanted on an unspecified warrant out of Ulster County Family Court.
Kirk Shultis Jr., 32, and Kirk Shultis Sr., 57, were both charged with felony custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child.
Cooper is being held in Ulster County Jail, while Shultis Jr and Sultis Sr. have both been released on their own recognizance.
According to the New York Post, all three defendants have been ordered to stay away from the kidnapped girl.
After 31 months, Paisley was reunited with her legal guardian and older sister.
