A woman accused of falsely reporting that her child was missing was granted bond Thursday.
A massive search for the 3-year-old ended with the girl found safe Tuesday night, but she was placed in state custody and her mom arrested for what police called a hoax.
“We don’t believe anything happened to the child, but we do believe this incident is hoax that was perpetrated by the mother,” Lt. Cliff Chandler with East Point police said.
Shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, Cyndi Cuffie told police her child, Kamile Shorter, had been playing outside the family’s Elizabeth Lane home when she disappeared, Chandler said.
That call to police began a search for the girl involving several other law enforcement agencies, including police in Coweta and Fulton, Chandler said. Police dogs and a helicopter search team were also called in to assist with the investigation, and officers and firefighters knocked on doors to alert neighbors about the search.
But investigators believe Kamile had been dropped off at a Hapeville daycare center hours earlier by her mother. When the child wasn’t picked up, the daycare center called Hapeville police, who determined that Kamile was the same child reported missing in East Point, Chandler said.
Officers were relieved Kamile was safe, considering the cold temperatures Tuesday night.
“We were ecstatic,” Chandler said. “It’s very, very cold out here. I was very worried this 3-year-old was out here and exposed.”
Cuffie, 28, was charged with one felony count of making a false statement to police, Channel 2 Action News reported.
She was granted $5,000 bond.
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