BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Barbara Gusse of Brooklyn Center is being hailed a hero, after a one-year-old who was first reported missing in a car theft incident in north Minneapolis Saturday, was found safe.
"The amber alert came up on my phone and I'd seen it said white Cherokee," said Gusse. "So I took my binoculars, because I am a bird watcher, and it had the same license plate that was on my phone so I called the cops right away.”
Those bird watching skills paid off big, leading to the end of a nearly 2.5 hour search for the one-year-old multiple police agencies were working so desperately to find.
"There was no resource that was not utilized during this time period and we had additional officers asking if they could be assigned to that detail," said Minneapolis Police Spokesman John Elder.
"The front door of the driver’s side was open," said Gusse. She went on to say, "I noticed it was running and I couldn’t see anybody in it.”
For Gusse, it wasn’t about what she couldn’t see that was alarming once police arrived, it was what she heard.
"I could hear that baby crying. I said, 'is that baby okay,' and he said 'yeah it's okay ma’am thank you,'" said Gusse.
A heartfelt thank you, to a woman whose watchful eyes lent themselves to a one-year-old's safe return home.
"I watch my community. I watch out for people," said Gusse. "I'm just glad that baby is okay. That’s all I care about.”