When cases go cold, police ask for the public's help in the hope that it gets them a fresh lead.
That's what Saugerties Police Chief Joe Sinagra says helped them find Paislee Shultis Monday night.
The chief says the new, solid information from a tipster convinced a judge to give them the search warrant they needed to finally get into the home where the girl was being held.
About a dozen officers from Saugerties and state police went into the home. When they went down a set of steps that led from the back of the home into the basement, one of the officers had a gut feeling. The officer flashed his light under the staircase and saw a blanket.
Once the boards were removed, there was Paislee with her biological mother, Kim.
"One of our detectives, on one of his approaches on the stairs, just said that something didn't feel right about the steps, they didn't look right. Something about it bothered him, and he looked much further into it and he used the flashlight to look between the cracks of the steps, and he saw what he believed was a blanket. And that led to the officers to then removing the boards of the stairs from the staircase. That's when he discovered a small set of feet. And as they continue to remove boards, they found Paislee along with Kimberly hiding in that location," says Singara.
Police say Paislee is in good health and is in the custody of another family member.