One Child Left Behind: 3-Year-Old Boy Is Lost and Found

A 3-year-old child left behind Monday at Discovery Clothing, 2857 N. Mayfair Rd., around 6:30 p.m. was safely reunited with his mother later at the police station after officers determined that there was no intention to neglect the child.

Police retrieved the youngster after the store manager found him wandering alone in the store and could not find the group of women she had seen him with earlier.

Police entertained the boy at the police station until they were called back to the store when his frantic mother returned. She explained tearfully that she and four female relatives had been on an all-day shopping outing with several children in tow, and because of the size of the group they had taken two cars.

She said her son is normally inseparable from his 4-year-old cousin at family get-togethers, and he had insisted on riding with her in the other car.

His mom believed the two kids had left Discovery Clothing together, too, and it was only after the full group got back together at her home that she discovered her boy was missing.

Police checked with Child Welfare, learned that the woman had no history of child neglect, and escorted her to the station to pick up her son.

The very young man was much calmer than his mother throughout the episode and seemed quite content to have gotten a ride in a squad car and a tour of the police station.