KEYPORT — It was a happy ending to a search for 10-year-old Jessica Case of Keyport who had been missing for a day.

Case had gotten into a dispute with her siblings and left her home at 3 p.m. on Nov. 9. The girl’s family called 911 when she didn’t return home later that evening.

Sheriff Steve Boyer said, based on the circumstances, especially her age and weather conditions, search and rescue teams began combing the area at 9 p.m. that night and continued throughout the next day until the girl was discovered at about 3 p.m. Search and rescue workers were going door-to-door throughout the Keyport and Brownsville areas when they found the girl at a stranger’s house about a mile from her home. Apparently, Case had knocked on their door sometime during the night and they let her in and never called police.

“If a 10-year-old child showed up at my door I would call the police, and I am the police,” Boyer said. “Their motivation was good, but they could have exercised better judgment.”

An investigation as to why they didn’t call police when Case showed up at their door in the middle of the night is currently being conducted. More than 100 people were involved in the search, including the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, Kitsap County Emergency Management, Kitsap, Mason and Pierce County Search and Rescue teams, Navy personnel (including many from the USS Pennsylvania, on which Case’s father is stationed), Seattle Mountain Rescue and German shepherd search dogs.

“The partnership between search and rescue and Emergency Management is seamless. We’re really pleased she was found and search and rescue was really ecstatic. It’s really heartwarming,” Boyer said. “I want to thank all the agencies that helped out. When it really counts people come together.”

After Case was found, she was examined by paramedics and was found to be unharmed. She was reunited with her family soon after, but remained in custody of Child Protective Services.

Sheriff’s detectives continue to question the people who allowed Case into their home. A final report will be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges, if any, Boyer said.

Indianola man dies after car accident

By Tiffany Royal

Staff Writer

POULSBO — Indianola resident Dennis Murphy, 69, died in Seattle Nov. 7 following a two-car accident that took place in September in Poulsbo.

According to the Washington State Patrol, Murphy was driving a 1994 Ford Explorer northbound on State Route 307 around 10:30 a.m. Sept. 2 near Big Valley Road when he crossed the center line and struck a 2004 GMC Refer truck, driven by Donato Castaneda, 30, of Port Orchard, head on. Murphy was wearing his seatbelt and was airlifted to Harborview Hospital in Seattle, where he died on Sunday.

Maurice Peterson, 41, of Bremerton, as a passenger in the GMC. He and Castaneda were transported to a local fire station for injuries. Neither were wearing seatbelts.

Washington State Patrol troopers are investigating the accident and suspect alcohol was in Murphy’s system.