Young girl slips away from babysitter, wanders Pittsburgh streets in freezing temperatures wearing only T-shirt

A young girl was found wandering outside early Thursday morning in sub-freezing temperatures and suffering from hypothermia in Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood.

Police received a 911 call from an unknown caller at 4:04 a.m. for a child walking in the area of Grandview Avenue and Cohassett Street, said public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. The caller immediately lost sight of the girl, Cruz said.

Officers did not find the girl, estimated to be about 3, for about 45 minutes. Police said a sergeant spotted her at 4:48 a.m. in the 100 block of Oneida Street. which runs parallel to Cohassett and is two streets over. She was wearing only a T-shirt.

“They don’t know if she was scared and hiding because it took a while to find her,” Cruz said. “She’s a very lucky girl, and we are so grateful to officers and medics who found her and attended to her.”

The temperature at 4 a.m. was 23 degrees at Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, according to the National Weather Service.

Public safety officials said they did not know how long the girl had been exposed to the elements.

Police said the child had been in the care of a young babysitter when the incident occurred.

Their investigation showed she had somehow opened a door and slipped out of the house in the middle of the night. The mother came to pick her up and discovered she was gone.

Pittsburgh EMS evaluated the child for cold exposure and vomiting. She was taken to the hospital in serious, but stable condition. She was alert and speaking.

Police said they do not anticipate filing charges.