3-year-old found by passerby after wandering away from Mahogany daycare

Good timing on the part of a passerby may have saved a child who vanished from a daycare in the southeast Calgary community of Mahogany on Wednesday afternoon.

The three-year-old boy, Remy, is now back safely with his parents.

But it remains unclear how long he was missing, wandering outside, before a concerned citizen spotted him near a busy road, got him to safety and called police.

Remy’s parents, Ryan and Kelly Anne Whittington, say they were not informed until hours had passed, and don’t believe police were called.

The owner of Mahogany Learning Centre says the Whittingtons were called right away, as were police.

Police offer a third timeline of events.

Kelly Anne Whittington says an employee at the daycare called shortly before 5 p.m. and informed her Remy was gone, perhaps for hours.

The daycare’s owner later told CTV the child was noticed missing at 4:08 p.m., but it is not clear when the boy actually left the daycare.

Whittington says she and her husband were distraught, called police and were shocked to learn the daycare had not done so.

"All I could think about was there is a lake nearby and he likes water - and a highway, and an overpass," she said.

"When they told me he was missing, I had no hope."

Whittington says when she called police, she learned a bystander had spotted Remy trying to walk across a busy road nearly two hours earlier.

She says that bystander got him to safety and called police, who took over care and began looking for his parents.

Christina Kang, the daycare’s owner, says the whole ordeal is heartbreaking.

She also says Remy wasn’t missing for hours, but rather was last seen indoors just after 4 p.m.

“It was circle time and they moved to the other activities (and) at that moment they recognized that a child was not there,” Kang said.

“Supervisor was informed by 4:15 and then (they were) searching in and out of the building.

“Mother was contacted around 4:30-something-ish. Right away. Also, meantime, we contacted the police.”

Kang says she believes there was a misunderstanding on the timeline.

Police released some details to CTV on Friday afternoon, saying it was about 3:45 p.m. when a bystander called in to say they’d found a young boy alone and wandering outside.

Officers drove around with Remy in their cruiser for roughly an hour, searching for his parents, according to police, until a call came in from a mother looking for her child.

Officers were able to reunite Remy with his parents soon after.

"I'm so grateful this bystander found him and so grateful he's with us today," Whittington said.

"But you never let go of those feelings of what if? What if that woman hadn't stopped?"

Kang says the doors at the daycare are locked to prevent children from slipping outside, and that baby gates and other control measures are used to ensure safety.

“(At) 4:05 in the same room, one of the (children) got picked up by their parents, and it looks like (Remy) followed the parents,” Kang said.

Alberta’s Ministry of Children’s Services said it can’t address specifics of the case, citing privacy concerns, but issued CTV a statement.

“Upon learning of this incident, Children’s Services immediately launched an investigation which is currently ongoing, and we will take appropriate action as necessary. We take all reports of critical incidents in child care programs seriously,” it said.

Last month, the province issued three non-compliance orders against the daycare, including one for not having adequate staffing.

Kang confirmed the daycare is facing three non-compliance orders, but is emphatic that they are unrelated to the current incident.