Today's article: Child mix-up

Babysitter Picks Up Wrong Child From School

KNBC-TV

7:25 a.m. PDT October 3, 2006

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A 5-year-old boy reported missing Monday when a relative tried to pick him up at a Long Beach school turned up several hours later unharmed, in an apparent case of mistaken identity, police said. Images | Video

A relative went to get the boy about noon, but was told someone else had already picked up the child, police said.

Long Beach police searched the campus of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, 1175 E. 11th St., and canvassed the neighborhood in search of the child, said Sgt. David Cannan of the Long Beach Police Department.

More than five hours later, the child was found.

It turned out that a babysitter, on her first day on the job, went to the school to get the child, called out his name, and Angel Guerrero, the boy who was later reported missing smiled and stepped forward, Cannan said.

The babysitter assumed she had the right child and took him to her employers' home, where she and the child spent the afternoon. When the parents arrive home hours later, they told the babysitter that she had the wrong child, Cannan said. At the same time, the parents saw a TV report about the child who was reported missing and realized what had happened.

The child who was supposed to be in the babysitter's care had waited at the school until school authorities called an uncle to pick him up.

The school's principal, Cecilia Camerino, said the policy of how children are picked up will be changed to ensure that such a mix-up does not happen again. She said children will now have to wear cards around their neck with the name of the person designated to pick them up, and that person will have to show identification.

Angel's grandmother said the boy's quiet nature may have contributed to the problem.

When NBC4's Angela Crouch asked Angel why he got in the car with the babysitter, he told her, "Because she pick me up."

Crouch said school authorities advised all parents to check on the pickup policy at their children's school.

"And, most importantly, remind your kids not to ever go with a stranger," Crouch said.

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The article doesn't mention that the teacher told the police that the child recognized the person who came to pick up the child so without question she let him go.

But that's the first of many things that bothers me about this whole incident.

A babysitter was hired to pick up a child and was her first day. Did the babysitter not get introduced to the child first? Was she not smart enough to ask the teacher before leaving to make sure she had the right child? And did the parent's not call to check on the child from work? Not til they came home and saw the news did they realize and put it all together. Yet the uncle of the child was called to come pick up the child from school. Why didn't he call the parent's to ask them why they didn't pick up the child? They would have figured it out a hell of a lot sooner.

Ugh. so many thoughts and just frustrated at the whole school and parent's neglect here. Each wanting to blame the other.....and both at fault.

Thank God the child was safe. I would hate to think what would happen if he wasn't.

/rant