“I miss mommy,” the young girl told deputies when she was found. Authorities found Josie with the help of a picture Josie’s mother Juanita took as a precaution right after they got to the beach.
Florida deputies found a lost young girl at a beach with the help of a photo her mother had taken earlier that day.
It took 13 minutes to find 8-year-old Josie on the beach.
“I miss mommy,” the young girl told deputies when she was found.
Josie’s mother Juanita took a photo of her daughter as a precaution right after they got to the beach. Juanita turned that photo over to the police when she reported Josie missing. It helped authorities identify the 8-year-old and her bathing suit in a shorter amount of time.
“I just got in that habit so so many years ago,” Juanita tells Inside Edition. “Take a picture of your kids and what they’re wearing when you get to the place you’re at.”
Young Josie told Inside Edition how she got separated from her family.
“I was swimming but then the water was pulling me that way. I didn’t even notice,” Josie says.
Deputy Geoff Moore from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office found Josie.
“A photograph is a huge plus for us, especially the day of,” Moore says.
Juanita says she was overwhelmed with relief when she was reunited with her daughter.
“Tears did not stop flowing for over an hour,” the mother says. “I’ve never hugged her so tight in her life.”
