Matthew Perez

Body of Missing 4-Year-Old Florida Girl Recovered From Lake

The search for 4-year-old Chelsea Noel is over after authorities found her body in a lake near her Port St. Lucie home.

Chelsea's body was found at the edge of a Port St. Lucie pond by the Saint Lucie County Sheriff’s dive team.

A U.S. Marshal first discovered something of interest in the water on a kayak before midnight Sunday. She was found about 27 hours after going missing.

Investigators say Chelsea was reported missing Friday after she walked out of the front door of her house.

"It looks like the child ran out of the house, got disoriented and ended up in the lake right away," Port St. Lucie Chief John A. Bolduc said, according to WPTV. "The family is very, very distraught, they’ve lost a 4-year-old child. That’s the biggest tragedy I can think of."

Police said video from the family’s house shows Chelsea’s dad running after her less than a minute after she left the home.

The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

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