PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — Law enforcement is still actively searching for a Florida mother whose daughter was found safe on Wednesday.
According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, 37-year-old Cassie Carli has been missing since Sunday night. She was last seen near Navarre Beach in Pensacola Beach where deputies say her car was found. Inside her car, the sheriff's office says, was her purse.
NBC News spoke with Carli's sister, Raeann, who says the night she went missing, Carli was on her way to pick her daughter up from the child's father, Marcus. The two shared custody of 4-year-old Saylor and would typically meet at a Walmart in Destin to exchange her.
However, Raeann told NBC that on Sunday, they changed the plan at the last minute. The two had decided on Navarre Beach near where Carli had been staying with her dad. When Carli's dad woke up later that night, he told Raeann neither Carli nor Saylor came home.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office reported Carli missing. Law enforcement said Saylor was found safe the next day in Birmingham, Alabama, with Marcus. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson says Marcus was interviewed by detectives before child protective services examined Saylor to make sure she was OK.
According to the sheriff, as far as authorities know, Marcus was the last person to see Carli.
The investigation, authorities say, is still ongoing. According to the sheriff's office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI are assisting law enforcement.
The Pensacola News Journal reports interest in the case has been so high that local residents are getting involved in the search for Carli.
"There are some folks that have put together some search crews to look around in the area, and of course, there are a lot of emotions in this," sheriff's office spokesperson Rich Aloy said. "They feel like we do, like they need to do something for her, and I think that's how people are showing their concern and emotions by trying to help as much as possible."
The sheriff's office asks anyone with information to contact the department at 850-983-1190.
