Mother of Allegedly Abducted 9-Year-Old Carlie Trent 'Always Had a Bad Feeling' About Suspect 
 
 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 
 
 Courtesy Shannon Trent 
 
 Courtesy Shannon Trent 
 
 Mother: 'We Will Find Her' 
 
 The mother of missing Tennessee 9-year old Carlie Trent says she "always had a bad feeling" about Gary Simpson, the 57-year-old man who allegedly kidnapped her daughter last week On May 4, Simpson, Carlie's uncle by marriage who, along with his wife, had once had custody of Carlie, picked her up from her Rogersville elementary school. Simpson and Carlie did not return home later that afternoon and the following day an Amber Alert was issued in Tennessee.Shannon Trent tells PEOPLE she has not had custody of Carlie or her 7-year-old sister for about two years, saying, "I just recently got my life straight and I just wish I could at least see my girls again."When she heard that her daughter had been allegedly kidnapped by Simpson, she was shocked by the news – but not as much by the suspect."I've always had a gut feeling," Trent tells PEOPLE. "I've always had a bad feeling about Gary [and] I should have stuck with my gut."Trent tells PEOPLE that Simpson has been part of the family for 34 years and was given custody of his nieces when Carlie's father, James, was having what she describes as "problems." At the time of Carlie's disappearance, James had custody of her."He was a very trusted family member. If we had known anything like this, we would have never let our kids around him," Trent says.Josh DeVine of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tells PEOPLE that in order to pick up Carlie, Simpson allegedly told teachers that James had been in a car accident and he was sent to get her. But Devine says this was a lie and that Simpson had no authority to pick Carlie up.On Tuesday, authorities said that before Simpson allegedly kidnapped his niece, he bought girls underwear, a bikini, clothing, lipstick, nail polish, blankets and a child's camping chair at a local WalMart "It made me sick to my stomach. I mean, I almost got sick," Trent says of the items Simpson allegedly purchased. "I don't know what he's done to her. I don't think he would hurt her, but if he's capable of kidnapping a child he's capable of anything."Authorities say the items purchased by Simpson confirm their suspicion that he allegedly brought Carlie to a remote area or campground. Trent says she believes the alleged kidnapping was premeditated."And just to think he's had this planned for a long time," Trent says. "I think he's got a lair or something or some sort of shelter."After the alleged kidnapping, Simpson brought Carlie to a local grocery store and bought non-perishable food items and toiletries, officials said. In a surveillance video from a Save-A-Lot, Carlie doesn't appear to be distressed, officials said. However there is still concern for her safety."We believe this girl to be in imminent danger. As the days go, our concern for [Carlie's] well-being only grows," DeVine said at a press conference on Tuesday.Trent says she and her family will not stop looking for their daughter. She urges Simpson to come forward, telling PEOPLE, "Gary, think about what you are doing right now – it's just crazy, it's just insane. You're not going to away with this. We will find her – we have to find her."She adds, "And Carlie, Mommy and Daddy are searching high and low and doing everything we can do to save you."James Trent told Inside Edition he believes Simpson has an obsession with his daughter."I personally think that for some reason, he's developed this obsession with Carlie," he said. "I wonder what he's trying to put in her head, what kind of story he's told her [about] why he's doing what he's doing."Simpson was last seen driving a white 2002 Dodge Conversion Van with Tennessee registration number 173GPS.On Tuesday, Missouri authorities issued an Amber Alert after it was believed Simpson was spotted near Otterville. However, hours later, authorities announced the alert was a false alarm.Carlie is described as 4'8" tall, weighing about 75 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and gray tank top with blue jeans. Simpson was last seen wearing a brown cap with a dark colored shirt and blue jeans.Anyone with information regarding Carlie's or Simpson's whereabouts is urged to contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Rogersville Police Department at (423) 272-7555. ||||| Two men are being called heroes for their dramatic rescue of a Tennessee girl after she was allegedly abducted by her uncle. The men found 9-year-old Carlie Marie Trent Thursday in remote back country, more than a week after she disappeared. The area so remote, police needed four-wheel drive vehicles just to reach her, reports CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca. 
 
 Carlie was rescued by two civilians, Donnie Lawson and Stuart Franklin, who were scouring the property for any traces of the pair. Lawson called police while Franklin pointed his gun at the suspect, 57-year-old Gary Simpson. 
 
 "There's a lot of abandoned cabins in the area and it's a lot of wilderness in here, so just wanted to be sure and check the area out," Franklin said. 
 
 Since last week, officials have been saturating the air waves and social media with images of Trent and Simpson, believing they were still in the area. Surveillance cameras captured Simpson and Trent at two different stores. Investigators say he bought camping supplies and various items for young girls. 
 
 Police feared she was in danger and issued an amber alert last Thursday to try to find her. 
 
 "We felt she was in danger, imminent danger, because our intelligence was telling us that," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) director Mark Gwyn said. 
 
 Simpson is Carlie's uncle by marriage. He allegedly took her out of school last Wednesday after falsely telling school officials her father had been in a bad accident. 
 
 "He wanted her and he wanted her all to himself," Carlie's father, James Trent, said last week. 
 
 He said Simpson was "obsessed" with his daughter. 
 
 "I'm just wondering -- how is she going to be? Is she going to be as happy as she was? ... That's what I worry about -- just that she won't be the same," Trent said. 
 
 Simpson has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping. He had just been added to the state's 10 most wanted list prior to his capture. The case generated intense interest in Tennessee. Investigators received 1,850 tips in seven days. 
 
 "You look at the photos and the videos of her and there's no way that doesn't touch your heart," said Margie Quin, TBI statewide amber alert coordinator. "I think the public was very invested in bringing Carlie home." 
 
 Police said Carlie appeared to be okay when she was rescued, but she was taken to Johnson City Medical Center to be properly evaluated. 
 
 The school district said Simpson was once Carlie's legal guardian and had parental authorization to pick her up from school. It said all procedures were properly followed when they allowed him to take her away. ||||| ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Latest on the abduction of a 9-year-old girl in East Tennessee (all times local): 
 
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 6:30 p.m. 
 
 Authorities say the 57-year-old man accused of abducting his niece from school more than a week ago was captured by two men who held him at gunpoint until law enforcement could arrive. 
 
 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn told a news conference that Donnie Lawson and Baptist minister Roger Carpenter found Gary Simpson and Carlie Marie Trent on Thursday in a remote wooded area only accessible by all-terrain vehicles. He said they found them in Hawkins County, the same rural part of East Tennessee where Carlie disappeared. Gwyn said Carpenter held Simpson at gunpoint while Lawson called the police. 
 
 Gwyn called the men heroes for deciding to check the remote area after authorities had issued a call for help finding Carlie. Gwyn says there are no indications that Carlie was harmed, but she is being taken to a hospital as a precaution to be examined. 
 
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 5:30 p.m. 
 
 A 9-year-old girl abducted more than a week ago when her uncle signed her out of school has been found safe. 
 
 The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation posted on its official Twitter page that Carlie Marie Trent was found safe Thursday and 57-year-old Gary Simpson had been arrested. Earlier Thursday, the TBI had added the uncle to its Top 10 Most Wanted list, and officials warned that the girl was in imminent danger. 
 
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 noon 
 
 Tennessee law enforcement officials say they believe that a 9-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her uncle is in "imminent danger." Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine would not give details about why investigators believe Carlie Marie Trent could be in trouble. 
 
 TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said Thursday that the bureau has added 57-year-old Gary Simpson to its Top 10 Most Wanted list and that an arrest warrant has been issued for him on a charge of especially aggravated kidnapping. 
 
 Police say they believe Simpson took the girl out of school on May 4, and may have taken her to a campground or remote area. 
 
 The uncle is believed to be in a white van with Tennessee license plate 173GPS. ||||| HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the mug shot for Gary Simpson. He’s the man accused of abducting 9-year-old Carlie Trent. 
 
 NEW: Here's the mugshot for Gary Simpson, now in police custody. #CarlieTrent pic.twitter.com/QhLihybsy8 — TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 13, 2016 
 
 The missing girl and her non-custodial uncle were located in Hawkins County, Tenn. Authorities took Simpson into custody at that time. 
 
 It's confirmed! Carlie Trent is safe! Gary Simpson is in custody. — TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 12, 2016 
 
 The two were found on Highway 70 North at Gravely Valley Road in Surgoinsville after receiving a tip. We know they were not found at a campground. 
 
 “She appeared to be OK,” TBI Director Mark Gwyn said at a press conference. Gwyn said they were found in a very rural area only accessible by a four-wheel drive vehicle by two Hawkins County citizens, Donnie Lawson and Stewart Franklin. The men who found them held Gary Simpson at gunpoint while they contacted authorities. 
 
 “I think this is just two heroes who went out onto the property just to see what they could see,” Gwyn said. 
 
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 Police issued an Amber Alert for 9-year-old Carlie Trent last week, the day after authorities say 57-year-old Gary Simpson signed her out of school under false pretenses. Officials have said they believed the two to be in an “isolated area,” such as a campground. 
 
 The TBI said they believed Carlie was in "imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death." 
 
 Simpson previously had custody of Carlie, but custodial rights were recently awarded to her father. The school system had not been updated on the change of custody, which is why Simpson was allowed to pick her up from school. 
 
 A reward of $40,000 was also being offered for information leading to her return. Gwyn said it would be "well deserved" to go to Lawson and Franklin. 
 
 Simpson was arrested and charged with one count of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping. He was booked into the Hawkins County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $1,000,000 bond.
– Authorities are combing through more than 1,200 leads in a desperate search for a 9-year-old girl they say was abducted by her uncle May 4, WATE reports. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, 57-year-old Gary Simpson picked Carlie Trent up from her Tennessee school, telling staff her father had been in an accident. Shortly before, he purchased a child's nightgown, bikini, girls' underwear, lipstick, and nail polish at an area Walmart. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has pictures of those items. Carlie's mother Shannon Trent tells People she felt "sick to my stomach" when she heard about those purchases. "I don't know what he's done to her," she says. "I don't think he would hurt her, but if he's capable of kidnapping a child he's capable of anything." Authorities believe Carlie is in "imminent danger." Simpson also purchased camping supplies and nonperishable groceries, and authorities think he may be hiding with Carlie in an isolated area. The TBI says there have been rumors online that Simpson is trying to protect Carlie, but it says that couldn't be further from the truth. "This was not an innocent camping trip, this was a crime," a spokesperson tells WATE. Simpson, Carlie's uncle by marriage, and his wife once had custody of Carlie, but her father James Trent had custody at the time of her abduction. Shannon Trent, who hasn't had custody of Carlie in two years, says she "always had a bad feeling" about Simpson. "I should have stuck with my gut," she tells People. (This boy's summer with his dad turned into his kidnapping.)