3 lost children found in search

Fire, rescue and law enforcement personnel from around Morgan County joined in a successful search to find three children in a wooded area on Mesner Road south of Berkeley Springs on Sunday, January 29.

Morgan County 911 got the call around noon on Sunday, reporting three children had gone missing. A 10-year-old girl, and two boys, aged 5 and 7, had been playing outside, and went into nearby woods to build a fort, their fathers told police.

When the parents went to check on the children, they had wandered off. According to rescue personnel, friends and relatives searched for the children but were unable to locate them and called for assistance.

DFC Cliff Cobern of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department requested help from area fire departments and the Maryland State Police helicopter.

Under Asst. Chief Zahnow, the Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Department coordinated the search effort. Volunteers located the children shortly after 1 p.m., and brought them back to their residence.

Local paramedics turned the children over to their parents after checking them over for injuries.

Also responding to the search call were fire departments from South Morgan, Reynolds Store, Hedgesville and Hancock. The Maryland and West Virginia State Police also assisted.