3-Year-Old Dies After Wandering Away from Fla. Home and Getting Struck by Car: 'This Is a Nightmare'

Photo:Fallon Shelton/Go Fund Me

Fallon Shelton/Go Fund Me

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in astatementthat the child left the apartment building around 3:30 a.m. before being hit in the northbound lane of Sheldon Road near Brennan Circle.

Within an hour, police “discovered an open door at the Valencia Apartments and realized the parents were looking for their child,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.

The boy was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“This is a horrific scene even for our most seasoned deputies,” added Chronister. “As parents, the only place you expect your child should be at 3:30 a.m. is safe and sleeping in their bed. This is a nightmare for everyone involved.”

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She added that the family had previously used cameras with phone alerts and extra security but did not get to install the features on their first night.  “It’s hard to understand sometimes why God takes them from us,” she told the outlet.

Stephanie claimed that on the night of her son’s death, the apartment complex’s gates were left open and that she wanted to share her story to warn other parents to take the necessary safety precautions.

A family friend has set up aGoFundMepage to assist the family with funeral expenses. As of Friday, the fundraiser had raised over $10,000.

source: people.com