The Virgin Islands Police Department is hosting a ceremony Sunday in honor of all those who helped search for 4-year-old Melanie Ferguson who went missing from her home in March.
News of the girl’s disappearance sparked a massive search, which involved VIPD officers, civilians and members of the Fire Service, Civil Air Patrol, St. Croix Rescue, National Guard, Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Port Authority Police and employees of V.I. Waste Management Authority.
Ferguson was found uninjured the morning after she went missing along with her two Chihuahuas, which stayed with her through the night.
St. Croix Police Chief James Parris said the search effort was one of the finest examples of cooperation between the police and the community he’d seen and marveled at how quickly people volunteered to help.
“It took me 45 minutes to get 190 people and a fixed wing plane and the National Guard in the air,” he said. “The public as a whole stepped up.”
Police Information Officer Melody Rames encouraged everyone who participated in the search effort to come to the basketball courts in Estate Grove Place on Sunday to be recognized. Rames said that certificates of appreciation have been made for every volunteer who signed in during the search.
Rames said Ferguson and her mother would be in attendance, and there will be short presentation, including a moment of recognition for the two Chihuahuas who protected the girl.
“Even the dogs will be getting medals,” Rames said.