Dad Goes to Pick 1-Year-Old Baby from Daycare, Finds Her Locked inside All Alone & Crying on the Floor

When a Chicago father went to pick up his 1-year-old daughter from her daycare, he panicked after seeing the place was closed. He immediately called 911 because he could hear his little one crying behind the locked door.

Leaving a child in a daycare facility can be disconcerting for many parents because, for most of them, it is their first time leaving their child alone. Parents always look for trusted people as caretakers.

Good reviews and personal recommendations help people decide which daycare is reliable. In some cases, things might go wrong even after a parent selects a daycare after months of research. The man in today's story went through something similar.

THE SHOCKING SURPRISE

As per his routine, Cornelius Jones headed toward his daughter's daycare to pick her up. He had planned to arrive there 15 minutes before closing time and take Journee home with him. Little did he know what was waiting for him at his destination.

After reaching on time, Jones was shocked to see the main gate locked. The lights were off, and it seemed like the staff members had left the daycare. He rang the bell and knocked on the door, but no one opened it. He even called the daycare but didn't receive any response.

Jones panicked and called 911 because he could hear Journee crying behind the locked door. There was no way he could enter the facility before help arrived. His heart skipped a beat after hearing his 1-year-old daughter crying.

WAITING FOR HELP

The unfortunate incident took place in 2015 at Chicago's All Things Are Possible For Kids daycare center. Waiting for the police to arrive seemed like the longest minutes of Jones's life. He said:

"I was terrified, and I was also hurt because I knew she was in there in the dark, and I couldn't get to her."

Jones was relieved to see the police and firefighters arrive at the daycare center, but it was still some time before he could see his daughter. While the firefighters worked to open the locked door, Jones took out his phone and recorded the entire process.

THE LOCKED DOOR

Thankfully, the first responders broke open the door and rushed into the darkened daycare. Everyone could hear Journee crying, but no one could see her. Jones recalled:

"One of the police officers flashed a light to the left and flashed it back to the right, and that's when I saw her crawling towards us screaming, and my heart just dropped."

Journee was frightened in the dark after the daycare center workers locked her in there. The little girl was able to calm down after her father hugged her. Jones said his heart "dropped," but he was glad Journee was unharmed.

A NIGHTMARE

Journee's mother, Quanesha Borum, arrived at the daycare center after the firefighters broke down the door. She was fuming when she saw her scared daughter and demanded answers.

According to Borum, the daycare director informed her that an employee had put Journee down to sleep and later told the director that all the children had left. Borum stated:

"But my thing is, I come here, and I sign her in and out, so why wasn't the list checked before everybody left?"

SHE WAS A DOLL

According to Jones, the employees said the daycare was not empty, and they were at the back of the building. However, Borum revealed what the daycare director said while apologizing to her:

"She told me that they thought Journee was a doll, but she's not that little to be a doll, so it's some excuses."

Borum believed the daycare should be shut down because the staff could leave kids in danger. She was surprised that no one went through the children's checklist before turning off the lights and locking up the place.

Even though Journee was safely rescued and was doing fine, her parents decided not to leave her in any other daycare facility. The unfortunate incident had broken their trust. They said they couldn't rely on daycares to look after their daughter.

What would you do if your child was locked up and left alone in a dark place? Do you think the daycare employees should take responsibility?

Click here to read another story about a little boy who said his teachers taped his mouth shut and threw his lunch away when he had been starving the entire day.