Photojournalist's 'fatherly' instincts helps find missing 11-year-old Tampa girl after noticing one detail
Malik Parlor uses his fatherly instincts to rescue a missing girl, ending a frantic search in Tampa.
Every parent knows that uneasy feeling in the stomach when the clock ticks past the curfew and their child still hasn't returned home. While for most, that feeling only lasts for a few moments, for the family of 11-year-old Tampa native, Grace Gardner, it lasted an entire night. On 15th April, the Gardner household's lights stayed on until late, with Grace last seen around 5:15 p.m., leaving westbound from the 4900 block of E Whiteway Drive. Tensions were beginning to rise when, late at night, WFLA photograph journalist, Malik Parlor, spotted a little girl on the sidewalk.
She was wearing the same black hoodie she had been wearing when she went missing. However, Malik didn't know the missing girl's name. When he spotted a girl walking around in a black hoodie, he acted quickly and asked the little girl if she was Grace. Thankfully, she was. And as soon as he realized that, without thinking twice, Malik, who is himself a father, jumped out of his car. "I just wanted to make sure she made it home safely," he said. He then proceeded to guide the 11-year-old back home safely, where her grandmother was anxiously waiting for her.
"So, you know, it's kind of hard when you have kids and see something like this," Malik told WFLA, as he burst into tears. "You are hoping that your kids come home safe. So, thank you to the TPD, and I'm grateful that was able to assist them." As you'd expect, everyone from the girl's family to Malik to the Tampa authorities was thrilled to finally see Grace reunite with her family. Although the reason behind these unusual circumstances remains unknown as now, it's safe to say that the story did have a happy ending after all.
However, the same cannot be said for the several others, as a total of 533,936 missing person reports were submitted to NCIC; of those, 93,447 records remained active as of December 31, 2024. Youth accounted for 27 percent of those active missing persons records, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
"Malik is a compassionate man. We need more like him," @DeeKadiddlehopper wrote. Meanwhile, @user-tr4uo2fb4h also shared the thought. "Good on you, sir! It's so nice to see news media actually helping, rather than making situations worse!" He wrote. "Bless this man! Finally, a great missing child outcome. We appreciate you. Malik, you are a Superhero Dad to every child," @Sherri4Justice stated.
More on Scoop Upworthy
Missing autistic child found within minutes by police thanks to a special device on his wrist
Boy missing for 18 hours saved by pilot — his savior turned out to be famous 'Star Wars' actor
Share on Facebook
