In Compton, California, a 3-year-old little girl named either “Shanay” or “Janae” was found wandering the streets on Saturday evening. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department turned to social media and news reports in order to find the lost toddler’s parents. The incident is still under investigation, but it is currently unknown whether the family will face any criminal charges for letting their child run off.
Authorities say the little girl was found by a concerned local citizen just after 6:30 p.m. in the area of Willowbrook Avenue and Alondra Boulevard in Compton. The police took the little girl to the LASD Compton Station in addition to searching for the parents in the immediate area, but the family could not be found.
According to the Associated Press , the Los Angeles County authorities were asking for the public’s help via social media since all they knew was a vague representation of the girl’s name. Photos show that she was wearing a pink shirt with a character from the Minions movie emblazoned across the front. The little girl apparently stayed the night with the police until the parents realized where their child was located.
According to My News Los Angeles , the little girl’s mother, father and grandmother all called the Sheriff Department’s Compton station around 10 a.m. on Sunday morning after they saw their lost child’s photo on the TV news reports or on the internet.
“Investigators are currently interviewing the mother, Dad and grandmother,” said Sgt. Eric Johnson.
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When the family was interviewed by detectives and the Department of Children and Family Services on how they lost the little girl in Compton, they told police a “miscommunication” led to the little girl being completely unsupervised. Reports do not indicate how the child managed to find her way out onto the city streets without family members noticing something was amiss.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is currently investigating the incident. According to ABC , the real name of the little girl, or the names of her family members, have not been released. The authorities have not indicated whether or not the family members could face criminal charges for the incident.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wishes to thank the media and the public for their assistance regarding this incident. We are thankful we were able to locate the family of this little girl and keep her safe,” said the Facebook page for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Anyone with information about the lost little girl from Compton is asked to contact the LASD Compton Sheriff’s Station at (310) 605-6500. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
[Image via Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department]