A three-year-old girl has been reunited with her parents after they mistakenly left her in a fast food restaurant – and didn’t realise she was missing until a news broadcast at 11pm that night.
The little girl, identified only as Harmony, was inadvertently left behind after attending a party at Chuck E Cheese in Festival, Bel Air on Sunday.
Harmony had arrived in a group of four adults and over ten children at around 4pm. The group, who had not made reservations, left at around 8pm, paying in cash.
Shortly afterwards, Harmony approached staff saying she was thirsty. When staff were unable to locate her parents they contacted the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies waited with the child at the restaurant until approximately 9:30pm when they returned to the Southern Precinct and contacted Child Protective Services. The Harford County Sheriff's Office contacted local media in an effort to share the child's photo to locate her parents.
Minutes following the 11pm news broadcast, several phone calls were received by the Harford County Sheriff's Office Southern Precinct, including calls from Harmony's father and mother, who share joint custody of the child.
An investigation revealed Harmony had been inadvertently left behind at the restaurant, by family members who thought she was in the company of other family members.
Harmony was released into the custody of her mother and no charges are expected to be filed against either parent.