Child Missing For 2 Years Found Hidden Under Staircase

A 6-year-old New York girl who disappeared in 2019 was found hidden beneath the staircase of her grandfather's home earlier this week, police said.

Authorities discovered Paislee Shultis in a "small, cold and wet" space under a staircase of a residence in the town of Saugerties in Ulster County, New York, Monday, Daily Freeman reported, citing local police.

Her parents, Kimberly Cooper, 33, and Kirk Shultis Jr., 32, had lost custody of the then-4-year-old child and her older sister in 2019. Paislee disappeared on the day authorities were supposed to pick up the children, according to the outlet.

Saugerties police detectives, uniformed officers, state police detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and uniformed state troopers executed a search warrant on the Fawn Road home Monday night after authorities received information that indicated Paislee was being kept in the house.

Kirk Shultis Sr., the owner of the residence and Paislee’s grandfather, told officers he had not seen the child since she was reported missing and denied any knowledge of her whereabouts.

However, Saugerties Detective Erik Thiele "noticed something about the staircase leading from the back of the residence into the basement of the house that caught his attention" during the search of Kirk's residence, police said.

Detectives used a tool to remove several of the staircase's wooden steps after Thiele discovered what appeared to be blankets through cracks with the help of a flashlight, which led to the discovery of "tiny feet," police were cited as saying by the New York Post.

Paislee and her mother were then discovered in "a makeshift room, under a closed staircase leading to the basement of the residence," according to authorities.

The hiding place had been used frequently, according to Police Chief Joseph Sinagra, who believed that Paislee was kept in Saugerties since her disappearance in 2019.

Paislee was later taken to police headquarters following the search operation, where she was met by paramedics, examined and released in good health.

Cooper was charged with misdemeanors custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child. She was arraigned in Saugerties Town Court, sent to the Ulster County Jail on an outstanding warrant issued through Ulster County Family Court and is now being held on $50,000 bail.

Kirk Jr., meanwhile, was charged with felony custodial interference and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child — the same charges his father faced.

Both Kirks were arraigned in Saugerties Town Court and released with appearance tickets for a later date.

All three adults have been ordered to stay away from Paislee and are scheduled to appear in Saugerties Town Court at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Paislee has since been reunited with her legal guardian and older sister at an undisclosed location, Sinagra said. She was able to remember her sister.

The child was "well taken care of and in good health," according to Sinagra, but he added that "she hasn't attended school and they weren't educating her at the house."

Paislee reportedly became excited when police passed a McDonald's on their way to reunite her with her sister and guardian.

"The detective turned the car around and went into McDonald’s and got her food from McDonald’s," Sinagra said.

It was unclear why Cooper and Kirk Jr. lost custody of their children in 2019.