2-Year-Old Found Abandoned In Locked Car, Alaska Police On Lookout For Grandmother

Anchorage, Alaska -- A 2-year-old girl who was found alone in a locked car stuck in the mud for two days has been rescued, authorities said. The troopers are now on the lookout for the toddler's grandmother who was believed to be the last known person with the child.

The toddler was found on a remote Alaska road Thursday morning in good health in the abandoned 2016 Ford Focus, approximately 6.8 miles on Stampede Trail, per the Associated Press.

Police brought her to Healy before handing her over to Child Protective Services. Alaska State Troopers said they are combing through the community of Healy and the surrounding regions in search of 69-year-old Mary Dawn Wilson, the child's grandmother.

There were indications that Wilson tried to free the stuck car, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain told the outlet. She walked away from the car after failing to do so.

Wilson had agreed to babysit for a few days while the child's mother was at work at a mine in rural Alaska. The elderly woman was last seen at a friend's home near Healy on Tuesday, according to a missing persons bulletin issued Friday.

Following that, Village Public Safety Officers, members of Solstice Search Dogs, Mat-Su Search and Rescue, Alaska Wilderness Search and Rescue, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, AST Helo 2, along with volunteers joined the search operation to find the toddler's grandmother.

"The search for Mary Wilson off the Stampede Trail near Healy is continuing. It is believed that on Tuesday, July 12, when Mary’s vehicle became stuck, she began walking in a direction heading further away from the Parks Highway. Personal items believed to belong to Mary were located at approximately 7.8 miles of the Stampede Trail," a dispatch on the state troopers' website read.

Anyone with information regarding Wilson is asked to call the Alaska State Troopers in Fairbanks at (907) 451-5100. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the AKTips smartphone app or online at www.dps.alaska.gov/tips.