Child find wandering alone to live with relatives until hearing

NASHVILLE (AP) — A 4-year-old child found wandering alone in a parking lot Tuesday afternoon apparently left a condominium without her parent’s knowledge, police said.

Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said it appears the girl, Hannah Marie Stimac, wandered out of an apartment while under the care of her stepmother. Aaron said the stepmother has an ear impairment and didn’t hear the child leave the building.

“The stepmother didn’t discover her missing until later,” Aaron said.

The stepmother sent an e-mail to the child’s father at work when she discovered the child missing. By that time police were looking for the little girl’s parents, but the father, Kelly Stimac, was searching on his own and didn’t call police.

“No charges are being placed right now, this case is still open,” Aaron said.

Aaron said the girl at first told officers that someone named Pam dropped her off saying “sorry, sorry” as she did. The child then told a Child Protective Services worker that a woman named Pam could no longer take care of her.

The Department of Children’s Services said the girl is going to live with relatives in Middle Tennessee. She will remain in DCS custody until a juvenile court hearing, possibly later this week, said DCS spokeswoman Carla Aaron.

The agency is still trying to determine what led to the event, Aaron said.