9-year-old Carlie Trent is found safe, her uncle is in custody
Nine-year-old Carlie Trent has been found safe and her uncle is in custody, according to authorities
"It's confirmed! Carlie Trent is safe! Gary Simpson is in custody," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
They were found on Highway 70 North in Surgoinsville after receiving a tip.
The news comes just hours after her uncle, Gary Simpson, was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Top 10 Most Wanted list. It listed that Simpson was wanted for aggravated kidnapping.
Simpson, 57, took Carlie from her Rogersville elementary school on May 4 after telling officials her father had been seriously hurt in an accident, authorities said.
Surveillance footage apparently showed Simpson had stopped at an ATM before he bought girls' clothes and makeup the morning before he allegedly snatched Carlie.
The pair then went to a local grocery store, where Simpson bought $80 worth of non-perishable goods and paper products "consistent with camping or travel," investigators said.
"Simpson has no custodial rights to Carlie, and the TBI believes that Carlie is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death," the bureau said in a news release before he was found.
Related: Other notable recent fugitives and manhunts:
While the uncle by marriage once had joint custody with his wife of Carlie and her 7-year-old sister, authorities had stressed that the case is not a simple custody dispute.
As a former guardian, Simpson had previously been authorized to remove Carlie from school. The school had not yet been notified that the guardianship had changed, according to reports.
A reward of $40,000 had also been offered for information leading to her return.
More from Inside Edition:
Charges Dropped Against Postal Worker Who Was Arrested After Shouting at NYPD Cops
Paralyzed Kitten Gets Around Using Lego Wheelchair
'Hero' Seen Pulling Man Out of Burning Car in Heart-Stopping Video
