Police Officer from Arizona Adopts 4-Year-Old Girl He Helped Rescue from Abuse While on Duty

Brian Zach, a lieutenant of the Kingman Police Department in Arizona, and his wife, Cierra, adopted a four-year-old girl he helped rescue from abuse while on duty.

It all started in 2018 when Zach was working as a patrol sergeant. He and other officers received a call requesting to check the residence where a bruised two-year-old girl was living.

That girl was Kaila, and she had severe injuries. Kaila’s condition even brought back memories of a 13-month-old homicide victim that had been haunting Zach since 2011.

IT FELT PERSONAL

Since Zach didn’t save that other little girl, he considered Kaila as his opportunity for a second chance, and he did everything he could to make sure that the two-year-old child was okay.

Before detectives took Kaila to the hospital, Zach spent hours and really bonded with “this cute little thing” as they held hands, colored, and snacked together. They connected immediately.

Zach is not the only brave police officer who adopted a kid saved from child abuse.

After that, he knew he wanted to take Kaila into his household. Zach, who already had two children waiting for him at home, told his wife Cierra how he felt about the girl. He said:

“I told my wife about this adorable little girl that I met and I just wanted to bring her home.”

TAKING KAILA IN

He added that he had told Cierra something similar many times before, but this time was different. Eventually, officials told Zach that they couldn’t find a proper placement for Kaila.

That was probably the final sign he and Cierra needed to finally step in. According to the police officer, when Kaila came home, she only had a sippy cup and a bag of clothes that didn’t fit her.

Kaila adjusted to Zach’s household pretty quickly, too. She started calling Cierra “mom” or “mommy” within two days. She needed a couple of weeks before calling Zach “dad,” though.

On August 18, 2020, the Zachs officially adopted Kaila. Zach admitted that they didn’t know if the girl would go back to her biological parents, so their goal was to love and care for her for as long as possible.

Adoption stories are uplifting, and Zach is not the only brave police officer who adopted a kid saved from child abuse. Jody Thompson, from the Poteau Police Department in Oklahoma, took in an eight-year-old boy named John in 2017.

If that wasn’t enough, John’s biological mother had a daughter in jail, and although Thompson’s wife was pregnant at the time, he decided to adopt the newborn as well. Two real-life heroes, undoubtedly.