Church Member Finds Missing Girl In Swamp
11-Year-Old Nadia Bloom Was Missing Since Friday
POSTED: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
UPDATED: 1:11 pm EDT April 13, 2010
WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. -- A missing 11-year-old Seminole County child was found alive Tuesday morning by a church member conducting his own search for the girl.
LIVE VIDEO: Missing Girl Found Alive
IMAGES: Nadia Bloom
AUDIO: 911 Call
RAW VIDEO: Nadia Pulled From Woods
Metro Church member James King found the missing fifth-grader Tuesday morning in a wooded, swampy area in Seminole County.
Paramedics said Nadia made two comments to them, "Glad you guys found me," and, "Can't believe you rescued me."
In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, police said King used toilet paper wrapped on top of a tree to tell police where he had found Nadia.
"Nadia is in good condition, she has insect bites from head to toe," Winter Springs police Chief Kevin Brunelle said. "The paramedic noted that her feet were very water logged as if she had been standing in water for a while."
Brunelle said the area was searched last because police did not believe she could have gotten that far. "He (King) woke up this morning and prayed and asked the Lord to lead him," Dan Holland, the senior pastor at Metro Church in Winter Springs, said. "He went into the swamp and found her. He's a guy who's determined, like any man would be, determined to find this girl and do whatever it takes."
King's wife, Diana King, said she received a text message from her husband just after 9 a.m., telling her that he had found Nadia and she was safe in his arms. She said although he had only met Nadia once or twice, he was a devoted father and dedicated to helping find the girl.
Nadia, who has Asperger's syndrome, was found in ankle- to knee-deep muck just south of alligator-infested Lake Jesup and northwest of her Barrington Estates home in Seminole County.
"She was able to speak. This is a time for celebration," said Holland, who added that Nadia was covered in mosquito bites but appeared to be OK otherwise.
Nadia was removed from the wooded area on a stretcher more than two hours after being found by King, and she was taken to South Seminole Hospital for an evaluation.
Nadia's parents watched authorities place her into an ambulance, and her father thanked everyone involved in the search for his daughter.
"It shows the compassion of the human spirit," Jeff Bloom said.
"Thank you," said Tonya Bloom, Nadia's mother.
"Our daughter's a nature lover and she went on a bike ride and she just stopped to take some pictures," said Jeff Bloom, explaining how his daughter disappeared.
Brunelle said Nadia is dehydrated but is "doing well."
Dr. Tim Hendrix said the weather over the last five days was favorable for someone in Nadia's situation.
"The thing in her favor is the mild weather -- not too cold, not too hot," Hendrix said.
Patricia Guobadia, a spokeswoman for the Bloom family, said she was notified of the news via a text message from a friend.
"Our prayers have been answered," Guobadia said.
Rick Carver, the principal at Lawton Elementary School in Oviedo where Nadia attends, issued a statement on Tuesday after receiving news about the discovery.
"On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of Lawton Elementary, we are relieved and happy to hear that Nadia Bloom has been found. We look forward to her return to her family and friends, and share their joy at her safe recovery."
Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday released the 911 call made by Nadia's mother on Friday to report her daughter missing.
"Hi, um, my daughter is missing. She took a bike ride and we have a little pond by our subdivision, Barrington Estates, and I can't find her," Tonya Bloom, said.
Tanya Bloom tearfully told the dispatcher of her daughter's disappearance before a neighbor took the phone and provided more details.
Earlier on Tuesday, authorities began a fifth day of searching for Nadia, who vanished while riding her bike on Friday in the gated subdivision, which is located near state Roads 434 and 417.
Nadia's bike -- with her helmet attached to it -- was found on Friday near a wooded area that backs up to the subdivision, prompting a massive search of the area.
Before Nadia disappeared, police said she read a book entitled "Lanie," about an adventurous girl who camps in her back yard. The book does not encourage irresponsibility, according to Local 6 News reporter Jessica D'Onforio, who has read the book.
"I've been told she read the book very quickly and she's also a nature lover," Brunelle said.
Nadia's sister told police earlier that Nadia could have been in the woods with the intention of making a nature video.
Local 6 News obtained a map of the two-mile search area used by investigators. The area stretched from Lake Jesup to the north to Lawton Elementary School to the south.
Every grid on the map was identified by a number, and areas shaded in yellow represented an area searched thoroughly by K-9s and others. Red dots on the map showed areas of water that were searched by divers.
An Amber Alert was not issued in the disappearance because there was no evidence that Nadia was abducted.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.