A MOTHER has been reunited with her newborn after watching her car disappear, with the baby still inside.
Sabriya Miles was dropping her four-year-old son off at a daycare in Evansville, Indiana, when her seven-day-old infant went missing.
A mother's 7-day-old baby was taken from her when her car was towedCredit: 14 NewsThe mom, Sabriya Miles, said she had stepped away momentarily to drop off her other child at the daycare center when her car was repossessedCredit: 14NewsNo one has been accused of wrongdoing, but Miles said she thought her daughter had been kidnappedCredit: 14 News
"I am a good mom," Miles told NBC affiliate WFIE.
"It was two seconds."
The Evansville mom thought her baby was being kidnapped after a repo man repossessed her car, unaware that there was a child still inside.
“I couldn’t talk,” said Miles.
“I was just too frustrated, and I was crying. I carried my baby for nine months and now I lost her.”
Police and the mother both say the child is fine, reported WFIE.
A repo man who’d come to repossess Miles’ vehicle had mistakenly driven off with the child still inside.
Police discovered that a repossession agency had called the Evansville Police Department earlier that day to alert them that they would be seizing the woman’s vehicle.
However, Miles said she received no warning that the car was being repossessed.
The repossession agents told police that they had been "looking for the vehicle for some time," and that its repossession was "a civil matter."
The repo man found the car parked and running in front of Cookie's Daycare, police said.
After the mother stepped away briefly, the agent then drove off without realizing that there was a newborn in the backseat of the car.
Police confirmed that neither party will be facing any charges.
“We talked about the situation of what I’m going though, and he sounded understandable,” Miles told WFIE.
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a "No Parking" zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted "No Parking" sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
Be prompt - many states have a small window of time where it's acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
However, the mom is now left without a car.
Her cellphone and children's car seats are also still inside the repossessed vehicle.
After seeing the story, local lawyer and daycare owner Tanisha Carothers started a GoFundMe to raise money for a new car for Miles.
With over 600 donations, the GoFundMe has surpassed its goal of $6,000, raising nearly $8,500 for Miles's family.
"We have exceeded our goal and we are so excited about it," updated Carothers on the GoFundMe page. "We will begin car searching for this young mom and help her get back on track!"