Utah authorities say two missing girls, 5 and 7, were located alive after spending nearly 24 hours trapped inside 50 gallon barrels in subfreezing temperatures. Lily Shaffer and Hattie Coltharp were not dressed for the cold and had no access to food or water, according to police.
Around 5:15 p.m. a person who heard the Amber Alert called authorities to report a white man walking alone several miles west of the compound. Cops responded and arrested Samuel Shaffer without incident.
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During the arrest, Shaffer provided a vague description of where the missing girls might be located.
The two little girls were found about 1000 yards south of the Coltharp compound. Shaffer told police he was trying to hide the girls from law enforcement. Shaffer initially refused to tell police where the other two missing girls, Samantha Shaffer and Dinah Coltharp, were located. source
About an hour later, Samantha and Dinah were found in an abandoned single-wide mobile home in poor health.
All four girls were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Cedar City to receive emergency medical care.
The youngest child, Samantha Shaffer was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital because of her condition.
Her current condition is unknown at this time.
The other three girls have all been released from the hospital.