NASHVILLE, TN – Authorities say two girls, including a pregnant 12 year old, were found safe after a day of searching for them and their stepfather.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, THP officers pulled over a truck that fit the description of the vehicle in question. Police say they were driving west on I-40 near Cookeville, TN.
TBI officials issued an Endangered Missing Child Alert Tuesday afternoon, September 29, 2009, for the girls. Investigators say 11-year-old Sierra Nicole Hess and 12-year-old Keara Lasha Hess, from North Carolina, were believed to be heading to Tennessee with their adoptive father Matthew Charles Hess, 40. According to investigators, the girls’ mother told police that Matthew left a note saying that he had to go to the store to get some things and he took the girls with him. Police say he never returned home.
Authorities say the 12-year-old girl was 9 months pregnant and was in need of immediate medical treatment.
TBI officials say both girls were being treated at a hospital until North Carolina Department of Child Services contacted investigators.
Matthew Charles Hess has been taken to the Smith County Jail. There is no word on charges at this time.
