Bodycam video released Monday shows a deputy coming to the aid of a frightened little girl who got lost on a Florida beach, in what officials called “a parent’s nightmare.”
The incident took place on May 10 on Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County, about 25 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.
Deputy Geoff Moore was able to find the child after the girl’s mother provided both a description as well as a recent photo of her, according to video released on Facebook by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
When Moore found the lost girl on the beach, the terrified child could be heard saying, “I miss my mommy. I miss her.”
In a heartwarming display of comfort, Moore responded, “You need a hug? It’s gonna be okay. Let’s go get you to mom, alright?”
The girl, who is not named and whose face is blurred in the video, is seen embracing the deputy.
Moments later, Moore was able to successfully reunite the mother and daughter as a large group of onlookers observed the emotional moment of an audibly sobbing mother overjoyed to see her little girl again.
“Thankfully, this story has a happy ending,” the sheriff’s department wrote in its Facebook post.
“Any time you take your kids to a crowded location, consider taking a photo of them in their current outfits so if the unthinkable occurs — your child is lost — they can be located as quickly as possible,” the department recommended.
