Mum abandons toddler by putting her in stranger’s car and running off
Police are seeking the child’s family
A woman has reportedly abandoned her daughter with a stranger after claiming that she was being chased.
Sacramento Police released a heartbreaking photo of the toddler, asking the public for help identifying her family.
A man who was approached by the mother in a Walmart carpark, who claimed she was being chased.
He drove the pair around for a while, then the mother fled from the man's car, jumping into another car with two other unidentified people.
The man then brought the little girl to a local fire station, and has been praised for “doing the right thing.”
“When we first brought her in, she was upset. You can tell she was uncomfortable with her surroundings. Lots of crying. Crying for mama. We did the best we could to comfort her,” said Fire Captain Greg Murdock.
The fire chief said firefighters at the station fell into "daddy mode," taking care of the toddler until she was taken into state custody.
“[They] took care of the child ¬– all pretty upset – held it together for the sake of the child,” Murdock added.
In an update to the initial press release, the Sacramento Police Department have confirmed that they are in contact with a woman who claims to be the little girl’s mother, though they are working on confirming that relationship.
They have yet to release any information on why the woman left her daughter in the stranger's car or to confirm if she was actually being chased before she got in the vehicle.
Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.
