Mother Of Girl Found Wandering In Van Nuys Comes Forward
VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — The mother of a barefoot, 3-year-old girl in pajamas was found wandering in Van Nuys has come forward early Monday morning.
The girl was found by a Good Samaritan at 9:45 p.m. Sunday near the area of Hamlin Street and Hazeltine Avenue, Los Angeles police Sgt. Ron Fisher said. The Good Samaritan bought her some socks and a blanket before calling 911.
She told officers her name is Ariel, that she is 3 years old, that her mother's name is Cynthia and her brother's name is Shawn, Fisher said. The girl also said she lived in a big, white house far away.
"I talked to her," Fisher said. "I got the impression she had wanted to go out and play, she wanted to get out of the house."
Officers spent about an hour and a half driving around the area with the girl in the hope that she would recognize her house. They also showed pictures of the girl to people in businesses in the area, Fisher said.
"She was shy at first," Fisher said. But after playing in a special room for children at the police station "she's in really good spirits."
The child is now in the custody of the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services.
A woman who claimed to be Ariel's mother told officers she works overnights and that the girl had been staying with a baby sitter. The mother later spoke to detectives.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
