CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A day in the park turned into a search for one child’s parents after she was found wandering alone in Champaign.
Police picked up the two-year-old on Sunday, after she had been walking around Hessel Park for hours.
A young child approached a teenager at the park, marking an unexpected encounter. Destiny Evans, a 13-year-old, was simply enjoying the splash pad and never anticipated what unfolded next.
“We came here for fun, but soon I saw a little girl wandering around. I didn’t think much of it at first until she began to follow me,” Evans recounted.
While Evans was with her family, she observed the toddler trailing behind her. After a thorough search of the park and some teamwork with others, they discovered the child was unaccompanied by her parents. Evan’s grandmother, Kim Fleshman, expressed gratitude for their decision to visit the park that day.
“Because we were just not thinking about coming yesterday, and that, but then we said, ‘Well, what the heck,’” Fleshman said.
Fleshman said after looking for the two-year-old’s guardians to no avail they decided on calling police, which Deputy Chief Greg Manzana said is always the right call — even if people are unsure whether the parents are there, or not.
“You know, there’s going to be some embarrassment,” Manzana said. “There’s going to be some… there could be some potential bad feelings. But ultimately, the care, you know, and the safety and welfare of the child is the most important thing.”
Evans said others in the park came to care for the child while they waited for police.
“I had chips on me,” she said. “So, I gave her some chips with the sandwich and this boy gave her some water and stuff. She gulped down two bottles of water and one had ice in it.”
She said she was happy the kid chose her out of a crowd, but saddened by the fact she was all alone in a situation that could’ve ended differently.
“It is sad… that this happened,” Fleshman said, “But I’m just thankful and blessed that my granddaughter found her and that she is safe and sound.”
Police took the toddler to Crisis Nursery and found the child’s guardian. Now, DCFS is investigating to figure out why she was alone in the first place. WCIA reached out for more information but did not immediately receive a response back.
