A statewide search in Tennessee for a missing autistic girl, 7, came to an abrupt, and tragic, end as her body was found in a lake hours after the sweep began
Serenity Alanna Marie Kinsey, 7, was located in Douglas Lake near Dandridge around 11 a.m. Thursday by a dive team. The massive search had began hours earlier at 5 a.m. after the young girl's parents reported her missing , saying she had left their home on Indian Creek Road in the middle of the night.
“One of the first responding deputies deployed his K-9 partner which lead him to the area of a dock on Douglas Lake,” officials said. “The Sheriff’s Office and TWRA boats responded to that area and following a scan of the area both observed a suspicious signature on radar near a dock.”
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The 7-year-old had silently left home on two other occasions but was quickly found both times.
Authorities said they recovered the 7-year-old's body from the lake about an hour after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert. "We have a heartbreaking update on the search for Serenity Kinsey," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. "A dive team located her body in a lake near her home a short time ago. Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time."
The little girl was last scene at her home around 1 a.m. sporting black shorts and a blue t-shirt. The Amber Alert described Serenity as autistic and nonverbal.
The alert was short-lived however as TBI officials updated the public about an hour later to report the heartbreaking discovery. Law enforcement officials haven't released much information since besides that Serenity adored the water and lived close to the lake.
Late last month, the bodies of two missing firefighters were recovered from the inside of a car in Cosby, which is roughly 28 miles south of Dandridge. The search for Chandler Kuhbander and Raegan Anderson began June 25 when the two disappeared, leading authorities to believe they were in danger.
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Chandler's mom told police her son and Raegan had a 7-year romantic relationship before splitting 2023. She revealed that Raegan hadn't taken it well.
"He was telling me that she was clowning up his phone, and he said that she had threatened that she was going to kill herself," Jane told ABC affiliate WJCL. There was also an incident days before the two were reported missing. Raegan had reportedly crashed a date between Chandler and another woman at an Olive Garden in Pooler, according to a police report.
"Ms. Anderson caused a disturbance with Mr. Kuhbander, and she walked outside and keyed his vehicle." The two were found dead inside Raegan's Ford Focus in Cosby Sunday. A cause of death has not been determined.
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