FOUND

Missing Sisters, Ages 5 and 8, Found Near Their California Home

The two girls, thought to have walked into the woods behind their house, were located about 1.5 miles away Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Leia and Caroline Carrico, the two young sisters who went missing on Mar. 1, were found “alive and well” by a local volunteer fire search team about 1.5 miles south of their home after 44 harrowing hours of searching, local police reported Sunday. “I’m pleased to report that we're all witnessing a miracle today,” William Honsal, the Humboldt County Sheriff, said at an early morning press conference, SF Gate reports. “Caroline and Leia Carrico have been found safe and sound in southern Humboldt.” The girls, ages 5 and 8, originally went missing near their Benbow, California home, officials said, and had last been seen outside of their home. On Saturday, searchers found granola bar wrappers that matched the brand their mother had recently bought, which gave authorities a direction to follow. “We have so many of these kinds of efforts that end up in tears, said a Humboldt County district supervisor. “Today, we can all shed tears of joy.”