The parents of a two-year-old girl have filed a negligence lawsuit against a childcare centre in Fort Worth, Texas, after their daughter allegedly escaped its premises and wandered into a busy road without any member of staff noticing.
Felisha and Travae Jones claim their daughter left BeYOUtiful Beginnings on a particularly hot day in August 2025 while the children were outside playing.
The toddler was eventually discovered by two strangers nearly a mile from the daycare’s playground on Parkwood Hill Boulevard, according to police.
The couple filed their lawsuit in Tarrant County District Court on Thursday, almost a year after the incident.
Their attorney, Russell Button, is seeking more than $1 million in monetary damages and has requested a jury trial.
Mother Says Daycare Put Her Daughter’s Life in Danger
Speaking to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Felisha Jones said she had entrusted the childcare facility with her daughter’s safety but believed its staff had put the child’s life at risk.
She said: ‘I trusted BeYOUtiful Beginnings with the most precious thing in my life, my 2-year-old daughter.’
‘They put her life at risk. I could’ve lost my child forever,’ she added.
According to the family, they first learned about their daughter’s disappearance when police contacted them.
They also alleged that the daycare did not provide an explanation for how the child managed to leave its supervision.
Police Report Raises Questions About Staff Supervision
Fort Worth police officers responded after two men found the toddler and alerted authorities.
Footage from an officer’s body camera reportedly captured a conversation in which the teacher responsible for the children admitted she did not know when or how the girl had gone missing.
The police report also raised concerns about the staff’s response after the child was found.
According to the report, neither of the two teachers involved showed remorse or asked about the toddler’s condition after she was recovered.
The parents’ attorney said the family still had no clear information about how long their daughter had been missing.
Toddler Suffered Effects of Extreme Heat
Button told CBS News that the child had been missing long enough to become seriously unwell in the summer heat.
He said she was found hot and sweating, with white substance around her mouth, and was close to suffering heat exhaustion.
The attorney also questioned the teacher’s ability to account for the children under her supervision.
‘The teacher didn’t know how many kids that she was responsible for, and in fact, proof positive.
She lost a little 2-year-old. They didn’t even know it until the police ended up calling the parents,’ Button said.
He added that the family had been working since the incident to help their daughter recover emotionally and regain her trust.
‘They were working every day since this happened to get their little 2-year-old back and trusting again. So she’s on the road to recovery,’ he said.
Button acknowledged that the toddler survived without being struck by a vehicle but maintained that the circumstances remained serious.
‘Thankfully, she wasn’t killed, wasn’t hit by a car, but it doesn’t make it any less significant here,’ he added.
Teacher Reveals Daycare’s Use of Velcro Safety Ropes
During the initial police investigation, the teacher explained that staff used Velcro ropes to keep children together when taking them outside.
However, she acknowledged that some children knew how to remove the restraints and would sometimes run away.
In the bodycam footage, an officer asked whether children frequently removed the ropes.
The teacher responded: ‘Yes, and we have to keep putting them on.’
The investigation subsequently established that staff had failed to carry out essential safety checks before, during and after the children’s outdoor activities.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the daycare did not properly conduct headcounts or name-to-face attendance checks to establish that every child was accounted for.
State Investigators Identify Multiple Safety Violations
State investigators found that BeYOUtiful Beginnings had violated several childcare safety requirements following the incident.
The violations included failing to provide adequate supervision, prevent children from being neglectfully supervised and ensure caregivers knew the number of children assigned to their responsibility.
Staff members also acknowledged that they had failed to follow the required safety procedures.
Despite the findings, investigators did not pursue criminal charges against the daycare or its employees.
The childcare centre, which describes itself as a quality learning facility, underwent four inspections following the incident.
The parents’ lawsuit now seeks to hold the facility accountable for the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s disappearance and the danger she faced while outside its supervision.
