Trinity Co. authorities find missing 11-year-old safe - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

The Amber Alert issued late Monday night for an 11-year-old Trinity County girl has been canceled. Trinity County authorities located the missing girl and her mother Tuesday afternoon.

 East Texas News was following the story in Trinity County all day Tuesday.

It was a tense day in Trinity County as authorities and Child Protective officials were looking for 11-year-old Savannah Hurley. However, the search didn't last long. Using cell phone data and information from area informants, authorities were able to track down Savannah and her mother, Shelly Hurley.

"Fortunately, around 1:30, we received some very good information about a subdivision we thought she might have been held up in, and we were able to check several residences there and use the information," Trinity County Sheriff Ralph Montemayor said.

Sheriff's deputies blocked the only road in and out of the Trinity Cove Subdivision for several hours. They were checking all cars coming and going from the area.

Montemayor said the blockade was a good idea because word got out, and that forced Hurley to hunker down in the neighborhood.

"The mother and the child were found in a travel trailer there on a piece of property hid back in somewhat of the woods there," Montemayor said. "The child is recovered safe, and the mother was placed under arrest for custody interference."

Both the mother and daughter were found in the Trinity Cove Subdivision at 2 p.m.

When CPS workers went to the mother's home Monday to take custody of the child, Hurley said the girl was not there, but with her mother, Patricia Rutledge, in the Woodlands, Montemayor said. According to Trinity County Sheriff's officials, Hurley later had a violent confrontation with the CPS worker; she threatened to run over the worker with her car as she was leaving.

After leaving her residence, Hurley met up with Rutledge and took the child. Rutledge was arrested for interfering with child custody.

Authorities say Hurley is a known drug user and CPS went to take custody of the child because there was a child welfare concern.

"CPS was contacted and did an investigation and asked her to take a random drug test for them and she tested positive for meth," Montemayor said.

Several Texas law enforcement agencies helped with the search and Montemayor says everyone did a great job.

"Less than 24 hours - that's always a great outcome," Montemayor said. "We was able to get her before she even got out of our county, so we're very happy about that."

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