Police: 2-year-old walks away from day care

Boy found along busy road in Pearland

PEARLAND, Texas – An investigation is underway after Pearland police said a 2-year-old boy was found wandering alone Wednesday. 

Investigators said the boy was supposed to be at the Brilliant Beginnings day care in the 2600 block of Cullen.  Police said he walked off after someone left the day care's door propped open. 

A woman driving by spotted the little boy and flagged down an officer.

"Two-years-old is too young to be out by himself, and he was out walking towards the roadway," said Lt. Onesimo Lopez. 

There is a police station located directly across the street from the dayc are center.

"I was terrified. I was so scared," said Vanecia Tolbert, the boy's mother. 

Tolbert said she got a phone call from day care staff while at work Wednesday morning.

"Not only could he have been hit, but the that motorist could have picked him up and took off with him," Tolbert said.

The director of Brilliant Beginnings had no comment about the incident, but investigators said it was easy to figure out how the little boy got out. 

"One of the first things the officer noticed was the door was propped open," said Lopez.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Child Care Licensing Division is now investigating the incident as well.  According to the state's website, the day care has been inspected before and cited for violations like not having the proper insurance and failing to conduct a fire drill. 

Tolbert said she just wants other parents to know this happened and she hopes workers will be more careful and make sure the doors are always closed.

"I hope they would do that," Tolbert said.  "This could have been a real disaster."