In an extraordinary turn of events, six-year-old Paislee Joann Shultis—who vanished more than two years ago—has been found alive, hidden behind a staircase in a home in New York. (KTVZ) The young girl was originally reported missing on July 13, 2019, when she was just four years old, from the village of Cayuga Heights, near Ithaca. (KTVZ)
For 2½ years, investigators pursued leads and repeatedly visited a home in the town of Saugerties—about 160 miles east of Cayuga Heights—believed to be connected to her disappearance. (KTVZ) Although officers conducted several warrantless checks of the residence, they were denied full access to the basement and hidden rooms. (KTVZ) The breakthrough finally came in early 2022, when detectives acting on tip secured a search warrant and executed it at the house. (KTVZ)
It was during the search that a detective noticed something odd in the wooden staircase leading to the basement. Peering through a crack, he caught sight of what appeared to be a blanket. Investigators removed several steps and discovered a small compartment underneath—and there, behind the stairs, they found Paislee and her non-custodial mother hiding in darkness. (Inside Edition) According to police, the enclosure had been built deliberately, and it appears that the girl and her mother had been living there for the duration of her disappearance. (KTVZ)
Once freed, Paislee was found to be in “good health,” and was reunited with her legal guardian and older sister. (KTVZ) While the physical rescue made headlines, one of the more poignant moments came when detectives, after picking her up from the scene, drove her past a drive-through at McDonald’s. The child recognized the familiar Golden Arches and recalled craving a Happy Meal. The officers obliged, detouring so she could get one on the way back to headquarters. (Inside Edition) That simple act of kindness—amid a horrific ordeal—is emblematic of the human dimension of this case.
The parents involved in this case—Paislee’s biological father Kirk Shultis Jr., the father’s father Kirk Shultis Sr., and her mother Kimberly Cooper—have all been charged in relation to their roles. Cooper faces misdemeanour charges for custodial interference and endangering the welfare of the child. The two men face felony charges of custodial interference in the first degree. (KTVZ)
While the immediate crisis has ended, the psychological and developmental impact upon Paislee remains unknown. Police have voiced concern about what conditions she endured behind that staircase, what she was told during her captivity—especially how she was kept so quiet while officers lived their day-to-day just feet from her hiding place. (KTVZ) The investigation continues, as authorities work to piece together the chain of events that allowed this situation to persist for so long without detection.
In the end, the rescue of Paislee is both a relief and a cautionary tale: a reminder of the importance of persistence in missing-child investigations, the subtle signs that may hide behind ordinary facades, and the vulnerability of children in custodial disputes and abductions. The image of this child getting a Happy Meal on her first outing after rescue will remain a poignant emblem of hope, resilience—and human compassion in the face of trauma.
