“This weight was lifted because I knew that I didn’t have to worry about who was going to be taking care of her and who was going to be loving her," Lt. Brian Zach told Inside Edition.
Arizona cop Brian Zach will never forget the day two years ago he met little Kaila while responding to a call about alleged child abuse – so much so that the little girl officially became part of his family earlier this year.
“It was very surreal, very exciting,” Zach told Inside Edition. “This weight was lifted because I knew that I didn’t have to worry about who was going to be taking care of her and who was going to be loving her.”
Lt. Zach, of the Kingman Police Department, was an on-duty patrol sergeant when he responded to a call about a 2-year-old girl who had allegedly been beaten by her mother and her mother’s then-boyfriend.
“One of her eyes was swollen, she had dried blood in both her ears, she had different coloring of bruises all about her face,” Zach recalled, “But she was still a happy-go-lucky little 2-year-old.”
Both Kaila’s mother and then-boyfriend were taken into custody and Zach waited with the toddler at the police station for child services to pick her up. He said they watched the Disney Movie “Wreck It Ralph” together, and immediately formed an unforgettable bond.
“We were buddies,” he said. “I distinctly remember her grabbing my hand and just petting my hand, like I was the one needing to be consoled. It melted my heart right away.”
Zach went home after his shift, but couldn’t get Kaila off his mind.
He said he called the Department of Child Services worker the following morning asking how she was. That’s when she asked if Zach and his wife would take her in.
“I met her Saturday night and Wednesday night she was dropped off at our house,” Zach said.
Immediately, the little girl became part of the family. “She fit in right away and just clung to our family and close friends,” he said.
Two years later, the Zach family formally adopted Kaila, giving her a fairytale ending just in time for the holidays.
“She means everything, absolutely everything,” he said.
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