Parents Seek Answers After Autistic 5-Year-Old Wanders From School
Lizbeth and Christian Moreno say their hearts sank when their daughter’s school called on October 1.
“The principal said, ‘She eloped, but she’s in my car now,’” Lizbeth recalled. “I didn’t even understand what she meant at first — my five-year-old had walked off campus.”
Their daughter, who is nonverbal and autistic, was caught on school video leaving the building just after noon. She wandered through the parking lot and down Scott Mill Road before anyone noticed she was gone.
Police say a woman driving by spotted the little girl walking in the street. The Good Samaritan told NBC 5 she asked the girl to move to the sidewalk, but when she saw her step back into traffic, she turned around, picked her up, and drove her straight to the fire station.
“She saved my daughter’s life,” Lizbeth said. “My daughter could’ve been hit by a car — or worse.” The Morenos later learned this wasn’t the first time their daughter had tried to leave campus, something they say the school never told them about.
Now, the family wants changes — fences, better supervision, and faster parent notifications. Lizbeth says she now hides an AirTag in her daughter’s clothes every morning “just to feel safe.”
According to Texas officials, more than 31,000 children were reported missing statewide in 2024, including about 1,300 from North Texas. Police say even brief disappearances can turn dangerous within minutes.
“I just don’t want another family to go through what we did,” Lizbeth said. “No parent should ever get that kind of call.”
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Parents Seek Answers After Autistic 5-Year-Old Wanders From School was originally published on thebeatdfw.com
