'I was in despair': Mother of lost 7-year-old recounts how stranger helped reunite her with daughter

A routine school day turned into a mother's worst fear when she was informed that her seven-year-old daughter Alex had gone missing.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Feb 3), Angel Liu, 43, recounted the trauma she went through on Jan 28 afternoon after her elder daughter Andrea, 10, called her with the news.

But an act of kindness by a stranger ensured that Alex reached home safely, but not before Liu, a mother of two, endured more than three hours of agony and despair.

"I was at work when I received a call from Andrea. She was crying when she told me that that my younger daughter, Alex, had gone missing," said the financial adviser.

"It happened so fast that I didn't really have time to process it. I just knew that I had to find my daughter as soon as possible because something might have happened to her."

Liu added that both her daughters attend Ngee Ann Primary School and it is their usual practice to meet after class before heading home in the Joo Chiat area, typically arriving by around 2.30pm.

"On that day, Alex wanted to leave first to spend some time with her friends and had informed Andrea that she would make her way home on her own later." 

Worried for her Alex's safety, Liu immediately informed her ex-husband before heading to the school to search and notify the teachers.

At the same time, she also began sharing news of her daughter's disappearance in a parents' group chat to seek help.

About an hour later, Liu said she received news from another parent who had recognised Alex near Marine Terrace MRT station.

'Unexpected act of kindness'

Hoping her daughter might be nearby, Liu rushed to the MRT station but still couldn't locate her. She then notified the station staff and filed a police report.

"I was really in a state of despair. By then, she had already been missing for more than three hours. It was just so heartbreaking," said Liu. 

She was about to leave the police station when she received a call from her helper informing her that her daughter had just returned home.

"I felt such sudden relief and quickly told my helper to hand the phone to my daughter. That's when I found out that a stranger had guided her home after spotting her lost on a bus," said Liu.

She then talked to the stranger to thank her personally. 

"I tried to ask for her number so that I could to meet her and thank her in person, but she refused. She only gave me her name — Julie," Liu said.

She said she offered to arrange transport for Julie, but the woman graciously declined and left.

"She doesn't know how much her actions meant to me. Nowadays, everybody tends to mind their own business, so when someone sees a lost child, they may hesitate to get involved," said Liu.  

"To me, this was an unexpected act of kindness. I truly hope there are more people like her out there."

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com