Parents Leave 3-Year-Old Daughter At Rest Stop, Drive 93 Miles Before Realizing She Is Missing

A three-year-old little girl was left at a rest stop by her parents after they forgot the child during a stop on their way to the beach. The parents were unaware they had forgotten the child until they heard an alert on the radio. The parents were 93 miles away when they heard the police alert and turned around to retrieve their forgotten daughter.

The BBC reports that police were called to a picnic area in France after a three-year-old little girl was found abandoned at the highway rest stop. The incident happened at the Bras de Zil rest stop south of Valence, France. The little girl was sitting alone at the table when another group of travelers tried to help locate the missing parents. The travelers waited with the child for her parents to return; however, after realizing the parents weren’t returning, the police were called to the scene.

The little girl told police that she was on the way to the beach with her mom, dad, brother, and sister. However, she noted that she saw her family’s vehicle pull away onto the highway. Police then decided to use the radio to try and contact the missing parents. A radio alert was broadcast 45 minutes after the child was found. Meanwhile, the child’s parents were already well on their way to the beach.

The French couple had already made it 93 miles before hearing the alert and realizing they were missing a child. Upon hearing the message, the girl’s father called police to inform them they were 93 miles away and would be turning around to retrieve the child. According to KTUU, the couple turned around and were reunited with their daughter two hours later.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time that a little girl has been left at a location for an extended period of time before the parents realized the child was missing. In fact, earlier this year, a toddler was left at a Mexican restaurant in Colorado unattended for nine hours before the parents could be identified. Despite leaving the child for such a long time, no charges were filed against the family as police determined the abandonment was the result of miscommunication between family members.

Police in France say they are questioning the parents about leaving the child at the rest stop but have not disclosed if actions will be taken against the pair. There is no word on why neither the parents or either of the siblings noticed the little girl was missing prior to the radio alert.

[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Mark Wilson]