Parents Describe 18-Hour Nightmare

Nine-year-old Calysta Cordova is found safe, but not after her parents endured 18-hours of agony.

“If it was your kid what would you do?” said Steven Ryno, the child’s father.

Ryno was waiting at home Thursday afternoon, when Calysta never showed up. He said she was just nine minutes late and he knew she was in trouble.

He called her school and police. Meanwhile, her mother Stephanie Cordova raced home from work.

“We had information that some girls had seen her on the playground and then she took off walking,” said Cordova.

As many search their Pueblo neighborhood, Ryno and Cordova said it felt like police were focusing on them.

“We feel they interrogated us, like we stashed our daughter or did something to our daughter,” said Cordova.

Cordova and Ryno said police told them to stay at their home and told them not go into their daughter’s bedroom.

“I understand they have a job to do… but six times searching my home after interrogating me three times… at some time they got to stop… get on street and find my daughter,” she said.

“Our patrol division yesterday (Thursday) afternoon contacted every student, interviewed every classmate and parent, and all the teachers in the school,” said Cpt. Rich Goddard, Pueblo Police.

Then, 12-hours after they first reported Calysta was missing an Amber Alert went out.

“As soon as we knew she was missing from school and no friends knew anything… it should have been done at that moment,” said Cordova.

“It takes a little bit of time to say it’s actual abduction and a child fits into the parameters of an Amber Alert,” said Michael Rankin, FBI.

Luckily, Calysta was found safe Friday morning. She is back at home with her parents.