7-year-old Chicago-area girl gets put in stranger's Uber after school, leaving parents in panic
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) — A west suburban Chicago couple was frantic this week as they desperately searched for their 7-year-old daughter, who had been placed in a stranger's vehicle — a rideshare — after school. What's more, this was not the little girl's first safety scare.
Jerry Davidson and Amiah Oliver got in the car to pick up their daughter Ly'leah, at an afterschool program at Steck Elementary in Aurora on Tuesday, Oct. 29, on time, like any other day. Oliver said she was told by someone at the school that Ly'leah was with her father, which was obviously not the case, as Ly'leah's father and mother were right there together, coming to get their daughter.
"And she just froze on the phone," Oliver said of the school representative. "She just froze, so then that's when we knew the worst had happened."
It turned out that Ly'leah had mistakenly been told to get into a stranger's car, with no idea where it was headed.
"It was very concerning and worrisome," said Davidson, "just standing there waiting for answers that were never going to come."
Furthermore, Davidson and Oliver said their daughter went missing after her first day of kindergarten last year. She was allowed off the school bus several blocks before her correct stop. Indian Prairie School District 204 said on that occasion, Ly'leah was found safely playing at a neighbor's house.
Ly'leah's parents said they gave her a GPS tracker because of that earlier scare. Davidson followed that tracker in his daughter's backpack, which first took him to a closed greenhouse before pinging down the street where he found her in the back of a car.
"My daughter was crying. I was crying. Her mother was crying," Davidson said.
Aurora police said the car was an Uber called by a school staff member, but the details are hard to follow in the redacted report.
Indian Prairie School District 204 explained that it does not operate the afterschool program in which Ly'leah was taking part before she ended up in the wrong car.
"Right at School rents space in Indian Prairie School District 204 buildings to offer the community before and afterschool care," the district said in a statement. "Right at School is an independent provider, not a school district sponsored program."
Evanston-based Right at School advertises programs in dozens of schools around Chicago. The organization said a statement that employee involved in overseeing student pickup on that day is no longer with the organization, and added that it has now reinforced previous training.
"It's a very traumatic experience," said Oliver. "I can't even believe that it happened for a second time, let alone a first."
Uber's policies should have prevented the incident. Uber said it requires account holders to be 18 years old and up, with special teen accounts available for people ages 13 to 17, which means a 7-year-old should not be in an Uber alone. Uber added that it asks drivers to report situations with underage passengers.
"Following this incident, we implemented additional support, including having a staff member accompany the student on the bus to ensure she was comfortable identifying her correct stop," the school district said.
Meanwhile, Ly'leah's parents keep a photo of her on the dash of their car.
"That's my first love," said Davidson. "That's my baby."
Davidson and Oliver hope their daughter's story will increase security measures for all the kids at her school.
Ly'leah's parents say they are petitioning the school district to switch to another school, as well as checking out private schools.