After seeing the mom get “ridiculed on social media” for leaving her newborn in the car while running into a daycare, a stranger wanted to instead focus on “humanity and empathy” — and raised a ton of money doing it.
A mother in Indiana who went through a pretty terrifying ordeal is now benefitting from the kindness of strangers.
Earlier this month in Evansville, Indiana, mom Sabriya Miles left her 7-day-old baby girl in her carseat as she ran her 4-year-old son into daycare. While she did that, a repo man showed up and repossessed the vehicle — with the infant still inside.
According to Tanisha Carothers, a local lawyer who felt compelled to help out after hearing Miles’ story, said the man “did a bootleg repossession by jumping in the car” before “speeding off with her newborn in the back seat.”
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Miles thought someone had stolen her car and kidnapped her child.
“I couldn’t talk. I was just too frustrated, and I was crying,” she told 14 News. “I carried my baby for nine months and now I lost her?”
Thankfully, the man only drove a few miles before, according to Carothers, he allegedly called police to retrieve the infant and the mother-daughter duo were reunited. No charges are expected following the incident.
Miles wasn’t reunited with her vehicle, however, which also had her children’s car seats and her own cell phone inside. The mother also claimed she had no warning her car was in danger of being repossessed.
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After seeing the mom’s story, Carothers sprung into action.
“After the news aired, many people ridiculed her on social media for making the mistake of leaving her newborn in the running car,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for Miles. “Instead I want to focus on highlighting the need humanity and empathy.”
She explained Miles “doesn’t have adequate support so she had to juggle her toddler and infant by herself,” reminding others that “we have all made mistakes and had to learn tough lessons” and should “support her through it.”
“She is in desperate need of a vehicle to get back and forth to daycare, doctor appointments,” wrote Carothers, who explained she was raising money for a “reliable vehicle to transport children and find employment,” as well as for a replacement car seat and other items inside the vehicle.
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The page already exceeded its $6K goal, with around $8.5K raised at the time of publishing.
“We have exceeded our goal and we are so excited about it! We will begin car searching for this young mom and help her get back on track!” Carothers shared in an update, telling people to stay tuned for more information “once she has a new set of wheels.”
Miles, meanwhile, told 14 News, “I’ve been a mom since I was 15 years old, and this is the first time that anything like this has ever happened to me. I won’t let it happen again.”