Opinion ID: 1152888
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reasonable grounds to believe an emergency exists

Text: The record supports the trial court's finding that the police had a justifiable concern about the welfare of the other children. An officer observed the condition of Rachel's body at the hospital. He discussed the case with hospital staff. Angela Gray's explanation about what happened to Rachel did not comport with Rachel's injuries. The officer knew that defendant had left the hospital to check on the other three children and had not returned. He then contacted a police sergeant and advised her that Rachel's death was suspicious and that officers should go to the trailer to check on the welfare of the other children and preserve any scene that might be at the trailer. When officers arrived at the trailer, no vehicle was found. The officers knocked on the door; no one answered. The door was unlocked, so the officers entered the trailer to search for the children. During that time, they saw, but did not seize, a bloody towel on the couch. They were in the trailer for about ninety seconds, just long enough to determine that the children were not present.