MAN’S ATTEMPT TO GRAB A 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL INSIDE WALMART FAILS TO GO UNNOTICED

 

The secret of a mother’s happiness and the source to most of her worries are the same; her kids. From the day she knew she is pregnant, Bremen, Georgia resident, Georgeann Baxter, only prayed for her kid’s well being. When Georgeann held her first child in the arms, the just-born smiled in her sleep and she forgot herself in that very moment. She would do anything for her kids’ happiness and any mother would do the same. They’ll risk their own lives to keep their kids away from any sort of troubles.

Well, Georgeann didn’t get the chance to act when her 7-years-old daughter was being carried away. She was completely unaware of the struggle her girl was going through.

Georgeann, The Mother

Georgeann Baxter, mother of two healthy and creative kids: one son and one daughter. Her world revolved around her kids’ smiles and she took proud in this fact. Above all, her most favorite role was of a mother. It’s obvious that moms suffer extreme loneliness once their kids graduate and walk out of their hearts. And Georgeann felt this separation anxiety when her son left their home to join the military.

Distant From Her Son

Georgeann’s son was a responsible boy since childhood. He always came up with ways to lessen his mother’s burden. Being a part of the army and serving his country was his forever dream. When he finally joined the military, Georgeann couldn’t be happier knowing that her son was living his dream. Despite all the joy, she couldn’t help but feel lonely.

Empty-Nester Syndrome

Georgeann was clearly suffering from empty-nester syndrome, sad and lonely feelings among the parents after their kids leave home permanently for studies or career. She suddenly found her house quieter than the usual. She wouldn’t get to pass through this dreadful phase so easily if it wasn’t for another angel in her life.

Brittney, The Daughter

Luckily, Georgeann’s 7-year-old daughter was still at home. She was the only reason that the mother of 2 was able to get over her loneliness. Brittney, her daughter, was still too young to find anything other than her mom’s company interesting. Her day started and ended with her momma’s voice. From dropping her to school to keeping a check on her homework, Georgeann took care of everything by herself.

Best Friends

Brittney and Georgeann have always shared a strong bond and after Brittney’s elder brother left, this connection grew stronger. Brittney always insisting that her mom should take her on more play dates. She was okay with any place be it a mall, a playground, or a movie theatre. All that mattered to her was that she was going out.

Never Say No

Once Brittney grows up, she too will leave the home and before that happens, Georgeann wanted to store as many memories as she could with her. Therefore, she never denied any of her little princess’ request as she knew the importance of these moments more than ever. All she ever wanted was to spend as much time as possible with her girl before she chooses her life. 

The Necessities

It was one ordinary winter morning when Georgeann planned to head to the nearest Wal-Mart store to grab some essentials. That was a weekly task to buy necessary items on one pre-decided day of the week. Georgeann has never been a shopping lover and more of a person who wraps up the buying thing as quickly as possible.

So, she was supposed to make a list of items that she needed to buy, grab it from the store, pay the bills and head back home. However, this day things were going to be completely opposite to any of her past experiences…

A Solo Thing

We all have either seen or experienced what going out for shopping and taking the kids along means. Certainly, more time consumption and more expense until and unless the kids aren’t curious at all. Being a wise mother, no wonder why Georgeann always preferred to go solo. It saved her a lot of time and money. Surprisingly, that fine day, she wasn’t going to go alone and that wasn’t the only unusual thing about that particular day. In fact, it was just the beginning of a chain of unexpected events.

Slowing Things Down

Taking kids along is definitely not a wrong thing but it is when the mother wants to get the work done asap. And when that kid is Brittney, a 30 mins work will extend to at least an hour. She has always been a curious kid with a lot of questions about everything that seemed new to her. Instead of sitting at home, Brittney insisted to go along with her mom.

A Change Of Pace

Due to the cold weather, Brittney was getting very less chance to go outside.  So when she asked Georgeann if she could accompany her, she has to agree. It is necessary to get some fresh air every once in a while and Georgeann was fine with it even if it meant more time consumption. The 7-year-old couldn’t be more excited about going shopping with her.

Getting Ready

Wal-Mart is not a big thing for most of the crowd. People wear their most comfortable clothes and that’s all. Brittney, however, was overwhelmed with a sudden date plan with her mom. As soon as her mom agreed to take her along, Brittney flew into her room to dress up. When she came out of her room, the little girl was wearing her favorite outfit and holding her favorite soft toy alongside. She gently held her mother’s hand and said she was ready to go. 

The Usual Requests

Singing aloud the song on the radio, Georgeann and Brittney reached at the Wal-Mart parking in less than 15 minutes. While Georgeann was finding the perfect parking spot, Brittney got off the car and stood outside waiting for her mother. Little did she know that she was going to be spotted by a wicked-minded person out there. 

A Strange Man

Brittney looked around and noticed a man looking straight at her. Meanwhile, her mother parked the car and asked her which section she would like to go first. The little girl’s mind diverted from this man but not his. Georgeann had no clue about this strange figure staring at her daughter from a distance. 

Either Toys Or Cards

Georgeann knew her daughter’s favorite sections, Brittney would either rush to the toys aisle or to the greeting cards aisle. It was their forever routine and Georgeann happily used to follow her daughter to these sections. Sadly, that particular day was going to be everything but regular.

Perfect Memory

Georgeann always supported and happily participated in Brittney’s fun games which included pretending she was about to buy all the clothes she tried on, then she’ll accessorize it with some tacky jewelry and giving a name to the best toy in the aisle. This time of the year, Wal–Mart has special decorations and it was supposed to be fun there. 

Love Day

Once done with the clothing section, Brittney took a shortcut to the greeting cards section. After all, Valentine’s day was around the corner and there were more than usual cards in bright colors. The ceiling was covered with big red balloons and there were flowers all around. Georgeann found it all very normal knowing her daughter’s interest in craft and checking out the new stuff.

Poetry

Yes, Brittney looked at everything curiously but she never insisted on buying useless stuff. She used to stand in the card aisle, reading aloud the poems so that her mom could hear from a distance. Georgeann too used to pick up the brightest of the cards and read the inside poem to her daughter. The mother used to take pride in the fact that Brittney was teaching her new ways of enjoying life.

Not The Only Ones

Obviously, there were other customers in the store too but that didn’t stop the mother-daughter duo from their fun activities. They were busy in their own little world without caring about who must be looking at them and what anyone must be thinking of them.So, it was natural that Georgeann didn’t notice that someone was keeping an eye on them. 

Stubborn Girl

Well, after a lot of fun it was finally time for some grocery shopping. As expected, Brittney was in no mood to help her mom in grocery shopping, there were so many new cards and she wanted to read all of them. Georgeann knew well what was coming next but she waited for her daughter to express herself.

Puppy Face

Like always, Brittney made her cute puppy face and asked her mom if she could stay in the cards section as the food aisle was just a few rows away. She also promised that she won’t go anywhere else by the time her mom returns. So, did Georgeann leave her daughter alone?

Small Town

It was valid on Brittney’s part to make this request as no kid wants to shop groceries when there are so many interesting things around. Finally, Georgeann gave in to her daughter’s wishes and said she’ll be right back. They were a small family of three so there wasn’t much on the list to buy anyway. Only if the mother could’ve foreseen the danger, she wouldn’t have ever left Brittney alone.

Freedom

Brittney admired her mom whenever she gave her some time of her own. Even if it was for a while, Brittney loved to take the charge and act like an adult. Although Georgeann stated clearly that she’ll be checking on her every few minutes, Brittney could feel the sense of freedom. All she needed to take care of was that she stays in the card section only for her mother to be able to find her easily.  

Nothing New

Brittney swore she won’t go anywhere else. As Georgeann walked towards the food aisle, she turned around, she saw her daughter picking up another card and felt blessed that both of her kids understood the importance of small things that can become a reason for great happiness.

Checking The List

Georgeann kept on cutting items off her list as she picked them from the aisle. Like always, she was expecting Brittney would come running to her as soon as she reaches the candy section. So, she was finishing up all the other items for she wanted the candy section to be their last stop before heading to the bill counter.

Being Aware

Brittney just became an expert in reading and she loved it. When she saw there was no one in the aisle, she read it the poems aloud but made sure to slow down if anyone was passing by her. Not grabbing the attention of the people around was one thing that she had recently learned. Little did she know that she had already become a target for someone.

Stranger In The Aisle

Brittney was going to pick up another card to read when one of the customers entered the same aisle. She saw him from the corner of her eye and continued reading her card. Like her brother always taught her, to keep an eye on the surroundings and observe thoroughly.

Looking For Opportunity

Brittney remembered her lessons well and she knew that she wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers when she was alone. The girl was quiet and minding her own business. She thought him to be another customer buying some cards or something, what she didn’t know was that this man was there on a purpose and he has been looking for this moment from the time he saw Brittney in the parking lot. 

Closer

Brittney was just done reading her card when Brittney saw this man coming down the aisle. He was getting closer and closer and Brittney still amused him to be interested in one of the cards that were nearby her. However, that wasn’t it.

Stranger

To Brittney, this 25-year-old man named Thomas Woods was a total stranger. He was the same man, whom the little one saw in the parking area and he had been living nearby for several months. This man’s intentions weren’t good at all and Brittney was clueless of the danger he was bringing with himself.

Back Story

Back in 2004, Thomas Woods had an argument with his uncle. Woods couldn’t hold back his rage and ended up killing him. After this conduct, he spent many years in jail and was recently released. That day, he had no plans and just pulled his car in front of Wal-Mart for no reasons until he saw the mother-daughter pair.

The Mother-Daughter Duo

All this time, Woods had been following the pair smartly enough that it caught no one’s eye. So far, he had no idea what he was doing and why. He was just following them while they were trying clothes and reading poems to each other.

Nervous

And in the greeting aisle, this man was standing right next to Brittney. Unlike her nature, Brittney grew nervous, for no specific reason she didn’t want to look at this man. The girl who loves to chit chat and socialize stayed calm. Anytime the man took a step towards her, Brittney was taking one or two steps behind.

The Last Card

Brittney kept the last card back in the shelf and decided she would go and look for her mother. As soon as she kept the card back and turned around, she looked at the man who was staring right at her. Woods too felt that the girl knew he was too close. So, he made the next move.

Making Contact

So, Woods immediately took one more step closer and picked up the same card that Brittney just placed back. He started to read the card and then looked down at the girl. He smiled at her but that wasn’t a friendly smile.  He was trying to get Brittney to talk but she didn’t.

Mom

When Woods asked Brittney if her mom was around, she knew he wasn’t a good person. As no one ever questioned her like that before. She took a step back and said she’ll go now. The man questioned again where she was going but Brittney didn’t answer. As soon as the girl was ready to go, Woods ran into action.

Too Fast

Brittney tried to run to her mom quickly but the man was too fast for her. Woods grabbed her arms and stopped her. Before the girl could do anything, Woods, picked her up and headed towards the exit. It was all happening in the blink of an eye.

Remembering Her Lesson

Brittney was blessed to have a responsible brother who prepared her for situations like this one. He told her to not talk to any stranger and what to do if a stranger tries to get a hold of her. Although he never thought this training would be of any help that day was the moment it was all going to be clear.

Kicking And Screaming

Brittney’s brother taught her to hit the person on the weak spot such as eyes. She was explained that if anyone tries to take her away, she should scream and kick. He also told her that once she is out of the stranger’s grip she should run to someone she trusts. But was Brittney able to follow her brother’s lessons?

Giving Him Hell

Fortunately, Brittney remembered her brother’s lesson and she immediately put them into good use. Woods was holding her tight and was quickly reaching for the exit door when Brittney started to kick him and shouted as loud as she could. Woods didn’t see this coming as he thought she would be an easy target.

Failing Plan

Woods’ car was right outside the exit door but Brittney made it hard for him to reach till there. People were looking at the pair and Woods did try to pretend to be her father but that idea could not work. Brittney was fighting for her life and she wasn’t going to give up.

The Drop

Woods couldn’t believe the little girl could grab so much attention of all the people in the area. As a result of her efforts, it became impossible to keep a hold on her and finally, Woods had to drop her down. The girl ran towards the nearest aisle, and he tried to follow her but he also noticed everyone looking at him. 

On the Run

As soon as Woods dropped Brittney, she ran. At first, she could hear the man shouting but when she turned back, there was no one, just a bunch of people staring at the door from where Woods got out. But Brittney didn’t stop there, she ran straight to her mom’s direction, crying. Georgeann was stunned to see tears rolling down her cheeks, Brittney wasn’t a cry baby. The mother had no idea about what just happened.

Misunderstanding

Brittney was running out of breath because of the whole incident. Georgeann thought that Brittney was searching for her from quite a while and got scared when she couldn’t find her mother. She hugged her daughter and assured her that she would never leave the store without her little princess.

The Shock

When Brittney was finally able to catch her breath, she told her mother what just happened and the reason behind her tears. Georgeann was terrified to know the incident. She was extremely angry. Not even in her nightmares, would she ever let a stranger get close to her daughter with bad intentions.

Security

Georgeann left all the items right there, picked up her daughter and headed to the front desk to ask for security. The cops were called and the daughter told the whole incident to them. When the cops saw the recordings and looked into the records of this person, they immediately understood he was no amateur bad guy. When Georgeann looked at the recording, she couldn’t help but cry. Even the thought that the man could’ve succeeded in his evil plans scared the hell out of her.

More Tapes

The cops took the footage to their headquarters and checked the man’s action after Brittney ran away. He headed to his car and took off. Thanks to the cameras installed in the parking area, the cops were able to search for the same model of the car.

Every Cop

As soon as the information spread out, all the local cops were on searching for this man. Finally, Sargent Chaffin spotted the same car model on the highway. The cop signaled the car to pull over and the moment he took a glance at the driver, he knew it was the same man that the entire police force was looking for. Chaffin arrested him for attempted kidnapping and headed to the Bremen Police Department.

Guilty

Brittney’s kidnapper was in police custody. “I didn’t bother nobody. I was never there,” Woods said. Although he denied all the charges, the video was enough evidence against the 25-year-old. The court charged him with attempted kidnapping, cruelty to children, and simple assault. He was sent behind the bars and Brittney and her family got the justice they deserved.

Behind Bars

“Punch, kick and scream as hard as you can, and then tell somebody that you trust,” recalled Brittney. This was her brother’s advice to the girl that helped her. Bremen Police Chief Keith Pesnell said, “I think it’s time we have to look at things, for the safety of the children. Fortunately, things are in place to train our kids, and Brittney did exactly the right thing.”

Brave Girls

The cops were impressed by the little girl’s act of bravery and her school too made a presentation in her honor. Emily Altman, a counselor at the Tallapoosa Primary School  once taught Brittney and the rest of the class students the difference between “Good Touch and Bad touch” said, “It’s never too early to say, you stay right with mom, or you yell and scream if somebody were to (grab you), I couldn’t be prouder of her.”