Search for three-year-old Augusta County girl continues

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - The search for a three-year-old Augusta County girl continues, officials announced Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Pennsylvania officials arrested Candi Royer and Travis Brown Sunday, Sept. 12 on alleged child abuse and neglect charges in South Greensburg, PA. Officials say Royer was reported missing Sept. 3.

From October 2020 until January 2021, officials say Royer had custody of three-year-old Khaleesi Cuthriell.

Royer took custody of Khaleesi when the girl’s mother, Amanda Arey, went to jail in October. Khaleesi was seen with Royer until January, when Royer allegedly began telling people the girl was no longer in her care.

Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith says the child’s whereabouts have been unknown since February, which makes the search harder.

“We’re behind the 8-ball on this,” Smith said.

However, he says the search for Khaleesi is fierce.

“It’s growing by the day. It’s becoming a joint investigation between the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, and I called in the FBI as well,” Smith said.

Since Khaleesi wasn’t seen with Royer and Brown in Pennsylvania, they’re working in the Augusta County area.

“We’re canvassing the people that know Travis Brown and Candi Royer, talking to friends and family, talking to all of them trying to piece together when’s the last time this child was seen,” Smith said.

Smith says they have information to sift through, and they’re trying to narrow down a timeline.

“We have numerous things that we’re tracking down right now, numerous people of interest that we’re trying to track down, family members that we’re trying to talk to,” Smith said.

Now that Brown and Royer are in custody, he says they hope to get information from them.

“We are trying to do everything we can to harvest the information that they have,” Smith said.

Many community members wonder how a child would be missing from February until September without anyone filing a report, and Smith says they didn’t know about the girl until Royer was reported as missing.

“The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office filed a missing person report for Candi Royer on Sept. 3 of this year. This report led to Amanda Arey, the biological mother, to call in and question her daughter’s whereabouts,” he said.

He says when Arey called, they started looking.

Smith says anyone with any information about Khaleesi Cuthriell, or information on Brown or Royer while they had custody of Khaleesi, should contact the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 245-5333.

This is a developing story. Stay with WHSV for the latest information.