Tonight, parents are on high alert after reports emerged alleging that child kidnappers are on the prowl. It may be one of those empty scares - but parents are taking it seriously.
Fears were first stoked yesterday evening, when there was a late breaking story from Orange Walk.
At around 4:00 pm, Mimi Novelo made a desperate post asking the public to please help her find her baby. The child, a 6 year old who attends St Peter's Anglican school went missing after classes finished at 2:00.
Her mother launched a desperate search, called everyone she could, and got the police involved - which led her back to her daughter by around 4:30.
She told CTV-3 what the child said about her whereabouts:
Reporter
"What happened yesterday?"
Mimi Novelo, Mother of Child
"My daughter got last. I was looking all over for her. I mean I was looking all over, I wanted to search under the rocks if I know I can see my daughter there. It was a horrible feeling. We searched all over in the school. I found my bigger daughter; she was in her class. I call her and she said mommy, I ask her where is her little sister. She said mommy, I don't know where she is. She asks if she didn't go with Tio Luis. I told her no, Tio Luis says she is not there. She said mommy where she could have gone and I told her I don't know, let go find her."
"I ask everywhere, I even went to A and R. I walk way back by SP and I said you know what I can't do this my myself. I called all my family members, I called people that I know and went to the police station."
"I met a man who told me that he recognizes my daughter who was playing here in the park. I told him I went to the park and my daughter was not there and he said no she is there and I scold her to come back. He said she was with a creole lady with a little girl they were playing and he said she's coming and so I ran to see my daughter. My daughter was afraid, like she was scared. Maybe she thought I would beat her, but then I said I can't just go and beat my daughter. I'm happy that my daughter is alive walking towards me. I ran to my daughter and I hug my daughter and when I saw my daughter, I ask her what happened why did you went. She said Mom, there was a black lady with a little girl. I was standing there in the shop and they told me that will take me to buy an ice cream. My daughter weakness is ice cream. I ask if it was only that and she said yes mom, she took me to buy an ice cream and then we went to play and then the lady afterwards she went away. I told my daughter already do not talk to strangers, do not take nothing from strangers."
Reporter
"What would you tell parents?"
Mimi Novelo, Mother of Child
"My advice to some parents is please be very cautious. Be on the vigilant for your kids. Take more care of them. Yes, maybe money is everything in this world, we need to take care of them and show them love. We need to focus more on our kids. For me I give my 90%, but now I have to give them my full 100%. Spend extra more time with them and advise them more not to talk to strangers, because if this happened to me, it could happen to any other mother out there and thank God I had the privilege to see my daughter back again."
The child told her mother that when school finished she walked over to her Uncle's business, Yani's Snack shop, as she normally does. That's where she claims to have been induced to go and have an ice cream.
