Missouri sheriff’s deputy saves missing toddler trapped in muddy pond

KNOB NOSTER, Mo. — A sheriff's deputy is being hailed as a hero after she saved a missing 2-year-old Missouri girl who was stuck in a muddy pond.

According to The Associated Press, Johnson County sheriff's Cpl. Nicole Collins responded shortly after 4 p.m. Monday to a report of a missing toddler near Knob Noster.

Minutes after her arrival, Collins "observed a large pond several hundred yards north of the residence and immediately inquired from the mother whether or not the pond had been checked," the department wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. Nobody had searched the water, the child's parents and neighbors told Collins.

That's when Collins sprang into action. She quickly spotted the toddler in neck-high water, trapped in mud a few yards away from the shore, the AP reported. Collins then rescued the girl.

“Everyone at the Sheriff’s Office would like to commend Cpl. Collins on her quick action in regards to this life-saving incident,” the department wrote.

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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