NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI - Amber Rose Smith's father was calm on the phone with a dispatcher as he reported the 2-year-old missing Tuesday afternoon.

Dale Smith tells a dispatcher he saw Amber about 30 or 45 minutes prior to the 911 call made at 2:10 p.m. on Oct. 8. The toddler wasn't seen again for 24 hours, when state Department of Natural Resources conservation officers found her on a two-track road nearly two miles from her northern Newaygo County home.

"She was in the house. I went to the bathroom. I come out and the door was partway open and usually she comes out and plays in the sand but she's not out here," Smith says to the dispatcher.

Smith tells the dispatcher he checked with neighbors while looking for Amber. He says the girl is wearing a top and had on jeans earlier, but he found the pants in the yard.

Police on Thursday were still trying to determine how the girl turned up unscathed after making a long barefoot trek and surviving a cold night in the woods wearing only a tank top. Amber appeared fine and requested hot chocolate at the hospital on Wednesday.

Scratches on Amber's body are consistent with her walking a long distance through the woods, Undersheriff Brian Boyd said Thursday.

Investigators' attempts to interview the girl didn't yield many details of her disappearance.

Police on Thursday used a tracking dog in attempt to backtrack on the girl's scent to determine her path.

Boyd on Thursday said authorities may never know how Amber got out of the family's home on 13 Mile Road near Cottonwood Avenue and ended up 1 3/4 miles from home. She was located in Manistee National Forest.

Sheriff's department officials plan to forward a report to the Newaygo County prosecutor's office to determine if anyone should be held criminally responsible for Amber's disappearance.

About 300 people -- police, emergency response crews and volunteers -- assisted in the search.

Angie Jackson covers public safety and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at ajackso3@mlive.com, and follow her on Twitter.