It was just an average day for one Minneapolis resident when she stepped outside of her home to ensure the birds had enough to eat during a harsh cold snap.
Little did she know that her eagle eye would help save a kidnapped child and earn her the title of hero.
While the mother of a 1-year-old boy was beside herself with worry, grandmother Barb Gusse was calling the police to report a sighting of a car that was the subject of an Amber Alert.
The boy’s mom had buckled her son Da’Merion into the back seat of her car when she realized she’d forgotten something and rushed back into her house to grab it.
When she came back out her car was missing with her toddler inside. Someone had stolen the vehicle, kidnapping Da’Merion in the process.
As Barb Gusse was feeding the birds outside her Brooklyn Center home the police-issued Amber Alert for Da’Merion flashed on her phone – just as she looked up and noticed a car sitting idle in the parking lot across from her home.
The avid bird watcher grabbed her binoculars and zeroed in on the license plate of the SUV and seeing it was a match immediately called the police.
“My heart went to my feet,” the grandmother of 9 told the Star Tribune. “I was shaking so bad I couldn’t hold a cup.”
The boy’s mother was finally reunited with her son who she’d been apart from for two hours.
“I could hear that baby crying and you know where my heart went, to the ground. I started shaking and crying,” Barb added.
A modest Barb says she just did what anyone would have done in that situation.
“Honey, I’m no hero. I’m just a grandmother,” she said.
“I’m so thankful that he was OK, that he’s with mom and dad,” she said. “That’s all that matters.”
This is a perfect reminder for parents and carers not to leave young kids in a car with the engine running as you never know who is watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Thank goodness this baby was found safe and well, and with a smile on his face. Thank you Barb!
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