Updated at 11:08 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
Update: Two girls who went missing before a middle school basketball game in Elbert County Monday night have been found safe.
The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office said the girls were located Tuesday morning after they showed up at a residence.
Elbert County Undersheriff Dave Fisher said at a news conference that the residence was seven or eight miles from where they went missing.
The girls did not have their cell phones when they went missing. It’s unclear the circumstances around why they disappeared.
About 30 people looked for the children overnight. Fisher said the parents will soon be reunited with their children.
The original story follows below.
Officials are looking for two middle-school aged girls after they went missing from a basketball game in Elbert County Tuesday night.
In a Facebook post, Elbert School District #200 says the girls were visiting from the Colorado Springs School. They left the Elbert school with backpacks around 5 p.m. and were wearing blue shorts and hoodies.
Officials say search and rescue teams were actively searching for the girls overnight. The Elbert school district closed its school Tuesday as it is serving as the incident command post. The district also canceled Tuesday night basketball games in Byers.
In a letter to parents Tuesday morning, the Colorado Springs School said the students left before the game began. They added that they have made counseling support available to students and staff and that search efforts are continuing.
