LUFKIN, Texas — A family living in Lufkin shared their daycare situation which almost turned into a nightmare Monday.
Kerena Velez is the mother of a two-year-old girl named Rebecca Holst. She went to pick up her daughter at Kids Cove Early Learning Center located next to Highway 69 South.
Velez said when she arrived the teachers were gathered in an office holding her child.
"One of the teachers that wasn't Rebecca's teacher, she was holding Rebecca really tight and I was like 'what happened?'" Velez said. "And they were trying to tell me that they had just lost Rebecca and that they were really sorry. Rebecca's teacher said, 'I'm sorry I lost her for five seconds,' and then the girl that was holding her was like, 'No, we lost her for five minutes. We're so sorry.'"
She was told by the facility that her child was found walking towards the nearby highway. Velez said the daycare withheld other important details that make her family, like the child's aunt Nohelia De Jesus, hold Rebecca closer every day.
De Jesus said her sister left the daycare after arguing with the teachers, strapped in Rebecca into her car seat and that's when a state trooper walked up to Velez and provided her with more details on the situation.
"The trooper was like, 'Hey your baby's in the middle of the highway. She almost got hit by an 18-wheeler,'" De Jesus said. "Basically the trooper said 'don't ever bring your baby back to this daycare' and they were really upset."
In addition the trooper said that it was an 18-wheeler carrying lumber that immediately braked and swerved to avoid hitting Rebecca. That's when an unknown person picked up the child and got her off the street. At this moment, it is unknown what happened between the rescue and Rebecca going back into the daycare.
The tire tracks from the vehicle can still be seen in the median turning lane of Highway 69 South in front of the facility.
CBS19 approached Kids Cove Early Learning Center around 5 p.m. before they closed for the day to see if they wanted to comment on the situation. The person locking up the facility refused to speak on the topic.
Regarding this incident, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said in a statement, “DFPS is conducting an investigation at the daycare to determine whether any abuse or neglect has occurred, and whether there have been violations of the minimum standards for child care operations."
It is still unknown how she managed to leave the daycare.
"There should have been no way that Rebecca could have gotten out," Velez said. "The fact that they just opened in February (is) a big red flag."
De Jesus mentioned that the owner of the daycare has called her, but not Velez, to apologize and has since let go of an employee.
"Rebecca is alive and she's here with us, she's safe and we can hold her," De Jesus said. "But the fact is that for a split second that could've been the opposite for us."
DFPS also said the results of their investigation will be turned over to the Health and Human Services Commission. This is the state department who licenses and monitors daycares.
De Jesus said Kids Cove Early Learning Center does not have a website and that since the incident the facility has shut down their Facebook page.