When Thomas Woracek discovered that his twin daughters were missing, it was every parent’s worst nightmare. But what happened next was truly incredible.

On a frozen January morning, a team of rescuers search desperately through the streets. Two little girls have disappeared into the night, and with each moment that passes their prospects grow bleaker. Suddenly, Officer Troy Kister spots a tiny footprint in the snow. It’s a vital clue – but will they find the girls in time?

Back in January 1997 the Woraceks were an ordinary family living in Omaha, Nebraska. Mom Marlene and dad Thomas had three children and owned a house on 13th Street about a mile away from the city’s downtown. Daughter Lindsay was in fifth grade, while twins Jennifer and Kourtney were just three years old.

According to neighbors, the Woraceks were a nice bunch. They were active in their local church and attended parent-teacher meetings at the school. Often, the twin girls were seen outside – but always under Marlene’s close supervision.

At the time, the Woraceks’ white frame house was one of only a few residences in a mostly commercial area. Despite that, it was homely and secure, with a fenced off yard and a terraced garden at the back. In short, there was nothing about the Woraceks’ home or lives that could have suggested the horror that was about to unfold.

Then, in the early hours of January 17, 1997, the unthinkable happened. Thomas was woken at around 4:00 a.m. by a light in the house. Puzzled, he took a closer look – and found only empty beds where Jennifer and Kourtney should have been fast asleep.

Thomas rushed downstairs and discovered more lights on throughout the house. Jennifer and Kourtney’s games and toys were scattered across the living room floor too. But most chillingly, the front door to the property stood wide open.

Faced with any parent’s worst nightmare, Thomas immediately called the police. Soon, officers were able to determine the terrible truth. Jennifer and Kourtney, it seemed, had packed their bags and decided to go for an adventure – in nine-below-zero temperatures.

Thankfully, the twins had put on their boots and coats before leaving the house. However, they had not taken any hats or gloves and were ill-equipped to survive the harsh January weather. The police, therefore, began combing the neighborhood for the girls.

Thomas and Marlene told officers that they thought Jennifer and Kourtney might have tried to head to their daycare center several blocks away. Accompanied by search dogs, police began checking anywhere that they thought a pair of lost, cold children might hide.

Nearly 45 agonizing minutes after police had arrived on the scene, Officer Troy Kister stumbled upon a clue. He spotted a tiny footprint, located near an alley close to the Woraceks’ home. On closer inspection, he discovered that it was a print from a small, kid-sized boot.

Officers followed the trail north for around 300 feet, where they discovered some children’s boots abandoned in the snow. Then, just 15 feet away, they saw what they were searching for: Jennifer and Kourtney Woracek were lying in more than five inches of snow.

In a 1997 article in the Omaha World-Herald, police spokesman Sergeant William Muldoon recalled the incredible moment when officers discovered the girls. “The one was covering and huddling over the other,” he explained. “She said, ‘Help my sister.’”

Officer Allen Wagner wrapped his coat around Jennifer and ran to a waiting police car. Behind him, officers picked up Kourtney and dashed to another vehicle. Wasting no time, they drove the twins straight to the city’s St. Joseph Hospital in their cruisers.

Later, Jennifer was airlifted to Omaha’s Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Miraculously, however, both girls survived. According to Muldoon, the outcome might not have been so happy if it had taken just minutes longer to locate the twins.

In order to save Jennifer’s life, doctors performed a special procedure that involved warming her blood before pumping it back through her system. Both of the twins would also require months of physical therapy to recover from the severe frostbite. Yet despite this, amazingly neither of them lost any fingers or toes.

As Jennifer and Kourtney grew up, they both suffered from long-term health problems relating to their ordeal. However, they never let them stand in their way; both of them even played soccer in college. The twins also came to believe that their rescue that night was a miracle from God.

Then, in 2017, Omaha news station KETV organized a special surprise for the now 23-year-old twins. More than two decades after their dramatic rescue, Jennifer and Kourtney were to reunite with the police officers who had saved their lives that fateful night.

When the twins walked in the room, they were warmly greeted by Allen Wagner and Troy Kister. As the four of them broke into big grins, they could barely contain their emotions. “Thank you so much,” Kourtney said. “We owe you everything.”

Kister revealed that both men had children close to the twins’ age, and that had made the ordeal even more emotional for them. Today, they are just happy that the girls are healthy and successful. Without the officers’ intervention that night, the twins’ futures might not have been so bright.