Neighbors in shock as Paislee Shultis, 6, hidden doors away for 2 years & cops say she may have played outside at night
THE discovery of a missing girl in a secret crawl space under a staircase has shocked an otherwise sleepy, rural New York town.
Eagle-eyed detectives found Paislee Shultis, 6, and her biological mother Kimberly Cooper hiding in the staircase earlier this week after her father told Saugerties police he doesn’t know where his daughter is.
A “ripe and corroborated” tip on February 14 allowed police to get a search warrant, which ultimately led to Paislee’s rescue.
Cooper and Paislee’s father and grandfather – Kirk Shultis Jr and Kirk Shultis Sr – were subsequently arrested, and Paislee is physically healthy, police said.
The hiding spot was part of an elaborate “secret basement apartment” that included a door leading to the staircase crawl space or backyard, Chief Joseph Sinagra said.
Their home – at 35 Fawn Road – is on a narrow, two-way side street that connects New York State Routes 35 and 32.
There’s a long driveway that leads to the house, and a child’s toys along with a large, jungle-gym-type playset covered the grass on the right side.
The view was largely shielded by trees, high shrubbery, and distance between homes
“She might’ve been allowed out to play outside but likely at night when no one was looking or could see them,” Chief Signara said.
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Shortly after news broke, dozens of news outlets buzzed around town and lined up outside their home.
The story was plastered on the front pages of papers and made international headlines, something business owners and neighbors in Saugerties aren’t used to.
“Nothing like this has ever happened here, and I’ve been here since 1962,” a local business owner, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sun on Wednesday.
Covered in debris from renovations in his bar, the business owner put his hands on his hips and shook his head.
“It’s the craziest thing. I still can’t believe it happened just down the road. I’m glad that little girl is OK though,” he said.
The quaint Ulster County town is about 68 square miles of rustic, wooden homes, farms, a couple of bars, antique shops, and small businesses.
It has a population of about 20,000, according to the latest census data.
‘GOOD PEOPLE’
A little less than a mile north of where Paislee was found, Vinnie worked outside his longtime market, where he sells pastries, ciders, jams, among other goods.
He said he knew the Shultis and Cooper families for almost four decades and called them “hardworking, blue-collar people.”
He never met Shultis Jr or Kimberly or saw Paislee before, but “the older generations are good people,” he said.
Shultis’ older brother stopped into the shop “once or twice” since 2019, when Paislee was first reported missing, but Vinnie said there was nothing to suggest anything was wrong.
“I don’t know what happened, but hopefully they get help,” Vinnie said about Shultis Jr and Kimberly. “Maybe they were having a tough time. Who knows? Everyone makes mistakes.”
‘QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD’
About a mile in the other direction on Route 35, the owner of a gas station and the accompanying shop said there isn’t a lot of traffic.
A couple of rusted pickup trucks that have seen better days filled up on gas, and one guy bought a local paper with Paislee’s picture on the front while the owner talked to The Sun.
“Sometimes you get a couple of people who come in for smokes or beers at night, but that’s about it. Nothing like that,” he said, pointing to the newspaper.
In between the gas station and Fawn Road, where police found Paislee, a few Saugerties lifers live on Old Route 32.
Doug, who didn’t want to give his last name, rattled off a few names of families that have lived on the street for generations.
He said Cooper and her family may have lived on his street “years ago,” but couldn’t be sure.
“It’s a real quiet neighborhood, and hopefully it stays that way,” Doug said. “This is the biggest news to happen here for as long as I can remember.”
‘FISHY’
Next door, a woman, who has lived in the area since the ’70s, spoke from her screened-in, wooden porch.
She didn’t want to give her name but said she’s seen Cooper in the market a few times but never saw Paislee before.
“I don’t know her and I never spoke to her, but I’ve seen her around town,” she said. “This whole situation is fishy. There are a lot of people on that street, and no one saw her? No one knew that little girl was missing?”
Neighbors on Fawn Road who answered the door or were reached by phone declined to comment.
A 19-year-old woman who answered the door where Paislee likely lived since 2019, according to the chief, told The Sun to leave her “traumatized family” alone.
Shultis Sr shook his head when asked for comment in the courtroom, and Shultis Jr’s lawyer shielded him from reporters and declined comment.
Cooper’s lawyer urged people to wait for all the facts to come out and “ignore sensational Facebook posts and media.”
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