Full Notification

On Sunday August 10, 2014 at about 8:25PM, a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy was on patrol in the Guerneville area. While traveling on Mays Canyon Road, he saw a little girl standing in the middle of the roadway. She was alone with two unleashed dogs.

Mays Canyon is a rural wooded area and it is a narrow one-lane roadway. There were no homes in the immediate vicinity. There were no other people around. The Deputy spoke her and got her first name, but had a difficult time determining where she lived. He put the girl into the back of his patrol car with one of the dogs. The other dog became aggressive and ran away.

The little girl weighed approximately 30 pounds. She was wearing a short white dress with pink sandals. She had scratch on her knee. She was not dressed for the impending sundown.

The Deputy attempted to have the girl point to where she lived, but as with any small child, this was unsuccessful. He stopped at several residences but was unable to find the parents of the girl. A bystander who lived a Mays Canyon stopped, but he was not familiar with her either.

The Deputy requested Child Protective Services meet him at the Sheriff`s Guerneville Substation. He also requested dispatch issue a City Watch Alert notice (a robotic telephone call to nearby citizens) to notify residents in the area about a found child.

More than an hour later, a woman called dispatch and advised she received a message about her daughter being missing. Two Deputies went to the woman’s home on Mays Canyon Road. While en route, they measured the distance from where he first contacted the little girl and where their house is located. It was approximately .8 miles, just shy of a full mile.

At the house they spoke with the woman’s 18 year old stepson. He had been responsible for the care of the girl while the parents were out for the evening. He couldn’t explain how or when she left the house. He had been playing on the computer and was distracted. He did not appreciate the gravity of the situation and was sarcastic with the Deputies.

When the Deputy spoke with the child’s mother, she said she had been in Santa Rosa at a concert with the girl’s father. He began to get telephone calls that the adult son couldn’t find the little girl. The child’s father reiterated this same story. Neither of them could explain why they thought the 18 year old was responsible enough to care for the child. Both knew that he was incapable of such an obligation.

In response to the City Watch Alert, a couple that live on Mays Canyon Road later called the Sheriff’s Office. They reported that in the past they had been driving on Mays Canyon Road and saw the same child about one mile from her home. She was by herself but with a dog. They took the child back home and dropped her off. They were able to locate her home because they followed the dog back.

The little girl was taken into protective custody and transported to an emergency foster family by the CPS Social Worker. The case was referred to the District Attorney’s Office to evaluate the information and consider charging the adults with Child Endangerment.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone to be especially careful when it comes to the safety of children. Look out for your each other, make smart choices and stay alert.



Report #140809-033

Prepared by Sergeant Cecile Focha
Media Relations/PIO