Prologue

From the case files of the local police department in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, dated November 3rd:

"Today at approximately 06:15 a.m. CST, Officers James Lee and Randy Cordova were out on patrol on County Road 56 near mile marker 38 when they pulled onto the highway's shoulder to remove some tree debris in the road from last night's storm.

Officer Cordova claims that roughly five minutes after pulling over, he heard a sound like that of a dying animal emanating from the eastern marsh. The officers worked their way approximately thirty feet into the wetlands and then called for immediate backup when they spotted a child. They were unable to reach the exact spot without sinking into the marsh themselves.

When Chief Roswell arrived, it took the three of them almost half an hour to pull the young girl, estimated to be about five years old, out of the soggy marsh. She had been buried chest-deep in the mud and was covered with bug bites and what appeared to be burns and lacerations.

The child was rushed to the medical center where it was estimated that she had been stuck in the marsh for more than twenty-four hours. The girl, who couldn't remember her name, was severely dehydrated and…"

The rest of the words in the handwritten report were smudged and no longer legible.