This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It took several hours, but Cottonwood Heights police were finally able to make contact with the babysitters supposedly charged with watching a toddler found alone on the street Tuesday morning.
Sgt. Gary Young said the child, a boy about 2 to 3 years old, was found about 8 a.m. walking unattended near 2100 E. Fort Union. By 11 a.m., despite use of a "reverse 911" calling effort, the child's family had not been located.
Shortly after noon, however, Young confirmed that the babysitters — a family that the boy and his mother had been staying with the past month — called police upon seeing the child's picture on television news.
Young said it all turned out to be a case of miscommunication; the child was returned to the home — located about four doors down from where the boy was originally found — and no charges were anticipated.
"Were not seeing anything suspicious here," Young said. "It seems the mom was starting a new job and had trouble finding a babysitter. The family she's staying with said they would watch him, just let them know when."
Apparently, the mother left for work 7 a.m. without telling the family, but assumed they would indeed watch her child.
Meantime, the couple who had made the babysitting offer were sleeping in when, unknown to them, the todder went for a walk.
Meantime, Centerville police Tuesday afternoon found another toddler wandering alone on the street, but were able to locate his family about an hour later and return him.
Twitter: @remims