Only on 13: Mother says daughter left her elementary school and was found about a mile away
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother is speaking out after she claims her daughter just left her elementary school with nobody watching her.
"There's no way two second graders should've (gone) through the gate and managed to make it one mile away from school," the mother, Ronisha Butler, said.
It was almost a mother's worst nightmare for Butler when she said she got a phone call from her child's school that her 8-year-old wasn't on campus.
What do you mean you don't have my daughter?Ronisha Butler, 8-year-old's mother
"I was devastated because I'm like, 'What do you mean you don't have my daughter?'" Butler asked.
Butler says her daughter, Makyia Carothers, and another student decided to leave during recess last week and just went through a gate at J. Ruth Smith Elementary School.
"It's a pretty big gap. She's really tiny, so she could just go right through it. And that's how she told me she went through it," Butler said.
SEE ALSO: Galena Park 9th grader approached by armed suspect while walking home, school officials say
Butler says Aldine ISD police found her daughter near Tidwell and Antoine, about a mile away from the school, even crossing the train tracks to get there.
"Anything could've happened. Like it's drug addicts, homeless people that sleep out there. Somebody could've snatched her. Sex trafficking is like a huge thing, so all of that was going through my mind when they (were) like, 'She was found on Tidwell,'" Butler said.
ABC13 went back to the area where Butler says her daughter went through and noticed there's now a chair in front of the gate.
But for Butler, she says she also needs someone to be responsible.
"I don't trust bringing her back to that school. I see that they're not taking the well-being of those children seriously. So I don't feel comfortable with bringing my child back to that school," Butler said.
ABC13 reached out to Aldine ISD about this situation, and they sent the following statement:
"The safety of our students will always be our top priority at Aldine ISD. The district is aware that two students from Smith Academy left the campus during recess on Thursday, June 5, and took immediate steps to ensure the well-being of the students involved. The Aldine Police Department was notified, and the two students were safely located and brought back to campus. Smith Academy administration addressed the incident directly with the families. Additional safeguards have been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future."
Butler also says that as she's been sharing her story, she learned this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
For news updates, follow Brianna Willis on Facebook, x and Instagram.
SEE ALSO: Mom says 11-year-old son with autism was mistakenly allowed to leave Aldine ISD campus
