A routine school drop-off turned into something else entirely for one Memphis mother after she spotted a 3-year-old girl walking alone in the middle of a street in the Frayser neighborhood.
Jabril Walls said she was heading to her grandmother’s house on Monday after dropping off her own children at school when she saw the child.
“I found her walking in the middle of the street,” Walls recalled.
Walls said she pulled over and positioned her vehicle to shield the girl from traffic before approaching her.
“I opened my car door and put my arms out, and she ran to me and said, she wants mommy and daddy,” Walls said.
Walls and her grandmother then tried to find the girl’s family. She said the child remembered that she lived in a gray-and-white house and had left her shoes behind.
After they could not find anyone nearby, Walls said they asked authorities for help.
“After not being able to find anyone, I took her to the fire station, contacted the police,” Walls said. “Everything was done.”
The girl was later reunited with her family.
Walls said the child appeared healthy, loved and well cared for, and she believed the situation was an accident. She also urged people to respond with compassion.
“It takes a village,” Walls said. “So I also extended my love to their baby and was able to be her guide. Because it takes a village.”
Looking back, Walls said she was thankful she was there when she was.
“Thank God that I was able to be there at that time,” she said. “I’m just glad I was able to make the baby feel safe.”
Walls has stayed in touch with the girl’s family and said she has been invited to the child’s upcoming birthday party. She was also dubbed her unofficial godmother.
