Parents only realized they'd left 3-year-old at Chuck E. Cheese after watching evening news

A 3-year-old girl was left behind by her parents at a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant and they only realized that they had forgotten her when they saw a report about her on the evening news. Restaurant workers only knew that the girl, identified only as Harmony, was in need of help when she went up to a restaurant worker around 8.30pm on Monday night saying that she was thirsty. The staff members told police that she had arrived at the Bel Air, Maryland childrens restaurant around 4pm with a large party of about 10 family members.

Her parents were among the adults at the party, and they reportedly left her behind thinking that she was with her other relatives when they left the restaurant. Harmony was with the group as they were leaving Chuck E. Cheese’s around 8pm, but then she spotted a stray token and ran inside to play another game. Because they had not made a reservation and paid in cash, there was no way to contact the family directly.



Restaurant workers contact the Hartford County Sheriff’s Office, and officers waited with Harmony until Child Protection Services arrived. In an effort to find her parents, police officers made contact with local news stations who agreed to broadcast her picture and the story on the 11pm news. Almost immediately after her picture aired, both of Harmony’s parents - who share custody of the girl - called the police identifying themselves, and one report says that the father’s name is Jesse.

The girl was then released into the custody of her mother. Given the accidental nature of the incident, the police do not expect that any charges will be filed in the case. The sheriff's press release said that the ‘investigation determined that Harmony was inadvertently left behind at the restaurant, by family members who thought she was in the company of other family members'.