Officer adopts little girl he met while answering welfare check

KINGMAN, Ariz. -- An Arizona police officer has given a little girl a forever home after meeting her while on duty.

Two and a half years ago, Kingman Police Department Lieutenant Brian Zach was working a night shift as a patrol sergeant and was called to check on a home. That's where he found Kaila, who is now four years old, and Zach said he immediately knew something was wrong.

"I went there and realized that her injuries were definitely abuse and they needed to be investigated. I took care of her, took her back to the station ... We watched 'Wreck It Ralph,' and we just bonded," Zach said.

Kaila was badly injured, and this was the third time her abuse was reported.

Zach, a father of two other children, couldn't stop thinking about her situation.

"When I came home that night, I told my wife about this little adorable girl that we got to meet and I wanted to just bring her home," he said.

When child protective services needed to find Kaila a temporary home, the Zach family stepped in without hesitation.

"We gave her love and care and not knowing when she would go back -- if at all. And we just took each day at a time," he said.

Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Finally, the Zachs officially adopted Kaila this August.

"The best thing to come out of 2020 is the fact that we gained an official member of our family," Brian Zach said. "That was my Christmas present."

"I love him -- I love him so much," Kaila added.