Search For Missing Girl Ends Tragically

The search for a missing autistic girl in Jefferson County ended tragically on the 4th of July. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Coffey says his office was contacted around 5am Thursday that 7 year old Serenity Kinsey had walked away from her home in Dandridge. Coffey says the girl has walked away from her home on two other occasions in the past, but had been found nearby quickly. The parents of Serenity Kinsey told investigators they had seen her last at 1am. The sheriff’s office began an immediate ground search in the Indian Creek Road area with the assistance of drones from the Sheriff’s Office and Jefferson City Police Department. Helicopters from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office were utilized for an aerial search. Members of the Cocke County Emergency Management Agency along with the Cocke County Sheriff’s office, Fire and Rescue Team and the Swift Water Rescue Team all arrived to assist in the search.
A K-9 search led to the area of a dock on Douglas Lake. The Sheriff’s Office and TWRA boats responded to the area and soon observed a suspicious signature on radar near a dock. Divers and an underwater craft from the TWRA began searching the area around that dock. At 11:18am divers found the body of the seven year old girl. Sheriff Coffey says Kinsey Serenity’s body was then transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for an autopsy. Sheriff’ Coffey thanked all who responded for search efforts, noting that many were volunteers who put aside family plans for the holiday to assist in the search. Sheriff Coffey says his department is asking for prayers for the family.