Tennessee Officials on Missing 9-Year-Old Carlie Trent: ‘We Honestly Just Don’t Know’

They’re believed to be traveling in a white 2002 Dodge Conversion Van with Tennessee registration 173-GPS.
Tennessee Officials on Missing 9-Year-Old Carlie Trent: ‘We Honestly Just Don’t Know’
Carlie Trent (L) and her uncle Gary Simpson. (Photos courtesy of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
5/9/2016
Updated:
5/9/2016

Carlie is 4 foot 8 inches tall, weighs 75 lbs with blonde hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a black and grey tank top and blue jeans.

Simpson is a white male, 5 foot 10 inches tall, weighing 157 lbs. He is balding, has brown hair and eyes, and was last seen wearing a brown cap, a dark colored shirt and jeans.

They’re believed to be traveling in a white 2002 Dodge Conversion Van with Tennessee registration plates 173-GPS. The van has a dark stripe along the middle with light gold running boards and paint is chipping off of the hood.

Warrants have been issued for Simpson for kidnapping.

On May 6, the U.S. Marshal’s Service indicated it was offering $2,500 in reward money for information leading to the child and the capture of Gary Simpson. On May 7, Carlie’s pediatrician, Dr. Chris Calendine, pledged to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the safe recovery of the child.

Shortly after her pediatrician’s pledge, the TBI obtained footage of who they believe is Carlie and Simpson inside a Rogersville Save-A-Lot grocery store on the day she was picked up from school.

Shannon Trent, Carlie’s mother, spoke to Local 8 news reporters and said:

“A thousand different thoughts at one time, you know, of why. Why he would have done this? Why he took her? Why? I don’t know. I don’t know. And if he’s sick enough to lie and take her, what else could he do,” Trent said.

Gary Simpson’s wife, Linda, said the couple had custody of Carlie and her younger sister once before, saying they still take care of the girls every day.

“I’m sad, I’m shocked, I’m really angry too,” Simpson said. “They’re just like daughter’s to me.”

If anyone has information that may prove helpful, they may contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.