Police say neighbors found a 15-month-old toddler near a busy street after he wandered away from a Georgia home day care.
The incident happened Friday afternoon near Lake Forest Drive in Sandy Springs, an Atlanta suburb.
WSB-TV's Michael Seiden spoke to police, who said a neighbor found the toddler in his yard. The neighbor called 911, and when police arrived, they realized the child had wandered away from the day care, authorities said.
Police said the day care's directors didn't realize that the boy was missing until law enforcement showed up at the Sandy Springs home.
The child was taken to a hospital and later released to his father.
Police have not identified the directors of the day care but cited them both for reckless conduct.
Seiden talked to a neighbor who helped get the boy back to his parents. The mother of three asked us not to identify her.
She said she and her kids were walking through their neighborhood when a Sandy Springs police officer flagged them down and asked if they recognized the boy in the photo.
"It was just heartbreaking to think there was a child wandering on busy Lake Forest Drive, and no one called the police to claim it," she said. "We called everybody that we knew in the neighborhood."
She was stunned to learn that the couple who runs the day care had no idea the toddler was missing.
"The cops told me that the child was unable to identify himself," she said. "Too young to tell his name."
Seiden stopped by the day care Saturday to try to talk to the owners. He also called their cellphones. No one answered.
"Do you see any scenario where there's a good excuse?" the woman who helped find the child asked. "In my mind, I don't see any scenario where's there's a good excuse to lose a child for an extended period of time."
The woman said she thinks the day care's license needs to be revoked and it doesn't need to be in business.
Seiden took a closer look at the day care's state inspection report and found that it is in good standing.
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