FORNEY, Texas — Two children who were inside a car when it was stolen from a Forney restaurant were later found safe in Terrell, along with the vehicle, on Saturday night.
FORNEY, Texas — Two children who were inside a car when it was stolen from a Forney restaurant were later found safe in Terrell, along with the vehicle, on Saturday night.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., a woman reported her car, with her two children inside, was stolen from the Chili’s restaurant in Forney. "The car was running and sitting outside the To-Go door of Chili’s and two small children were in the back seat of the vehicle when it was taken," Forney Police Department Detective Michael Clay stated Sunday evening.
Police began tracking the woman’s cell phone, which was still in the car, north on Farm-to-Market (FM) 548. The cell phone was tossed from the vehicle in the 17000 block of FM 548, near State Highway 205. Surrounding agencies were notified to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
At approximately 8:05 p.m., the children, ages five and six, were found walking in their pajamas on State Highway (SH) 34 near Schlotzsky's Deli, according to Terrell Police Department Captain A.D. Sansom.
"The vehicle was discovered sitting in the Starbuck’s parking lot down the street unoccupied and still running at around 8:15 pm.," stated Clay.
"After making contact and interviewing persons involved, it is believed that no contact, verbal or physical, was made with the children," stated Clay. "It’s also believed that whoever took the car, after discovering the children in the back seat, left the vehicle at Starbuck’s and departed on foot. The children got out of the vehicle and were discovered walking down the street."
The Forney Police Department responded to the vehicle in Terrell to process the vehicle of any evidence and gather any available surveillance video from nearby businesses.
Meanwhile, the children were taken to the Kaufman County Children’s Advocacy Center where they are being interviewed.
A witness told police they observed a white or Hispanic male, wearing a grey hoodie, and carrying a sack walking northbound on SH 34 away from Starbucks and the vehicle, described as a white Volskwagon Passat, according to Sansom.
The Terrell Police Department and the Forney Police Department are investigating the case.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Forney Police Criminal Investigations Department at (972) 564-7600 or the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers (877) 847-7522.
