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Amber Alert: 9-Year-Old Tennessee Girl, Carlie Trent, Abducted From School By Uncle, Likely Hiding In Campground

By Tara West
Published on: 13:32 PST, May 6, 2016

Carlie Trent, 9, was abducted from her school by her uncle, Gary Simpson, after the man reportedly purchased a large amount of camping supplies from a local Walmart. According to Gary Simpson’s wife, the man is “up to something bad” and is concerned for the well-being of Carlie. The police have issued a nationwide Amber Alert noting that Carlie Trent and Gary Simpson could be headed anywhere. However, the pair are likely not using main roads and are expected to be hiding in a campground, state park, or other remote area.

The NY Daily News reports that a nationwide Amber Alert has been issued for 9-year-old Carlie Trent after she was abducted from school by her uncle. The little girl was removed from school early by her uncle Gary Simpson. The little girl was taken from class at approximately 1:30 p.m. when her uncle arrived to the Rogersville, Tennessee, elementary school to check her out of school early. The uncle, who does not have custodial rights, was allowed to remove the child from class after claiming that her father was in an accident and needed him to pick up the child for him. Trent went so far as to tell the school that Carlie would likely not make it to class the next day due to the accident.

However, the school learned of their horrible mistake later that evening when Carlie’s parents and aunt called to find out why the child did not get off the bus. Interestingly, Gary Simpson, and his wife, Linda, the sister of Carlie’s father, previously had custody of Carlie for a period of time. Currently, Gary and Linda live next door to the little girl, her father and her 7-year-old sister. Reports indicate that Carlie’s mother does not have custody and that Carlie lives exclusively with her father and spent a lot of time with her aunt and uncle. Times News notes that the family is in complete shock at the abduction noting that there is no evidence of past abuse on the part of Gary or anyone in the family and that Simpson has no criminal history.

“Simpson has no criminal history. He has lived in a rural area near Rogersville his entire life, and been married to the same woman, Carlie’s father’s sister, for more than 30 years.”

Police report that prior to taking Carlie out of school early, Gary was seen on surveillance video purchasing a large variety of camping equipment from a local Walmart.

He then picked Carlie up in a white 2002 Dodge Conversion Van with TN registration 173GPS. The van could also be used for camping purposes. Therefore, police believe that Gary and Carlie are likely in a campground, state park, or other remote area.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is asking that the public remain vigilant and report any possible sightings of Carlie Trent, Gary Simpson, or the white van to authorities immediately. The police note that despite the nationwide Amber Alert, they have received no viable sightings of Carlie or Gary Simpson. Therefore, they believe they are out of the public view and that those in isolated areas and campgrounds should keep a lookout for the pair.

“In spite of our best efforts, at this time, there has been no credible sighting of the child, the suspect, or the van in which the two are believed to be riding. This, along with our investigative effort, leads us to believe the individuals may not be in public view and may be located in a campground, state park, or other isolated area.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Rogersville Police Department at 423-272-7555 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

[Image via Tennessee Bureau of Investigation]

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