A police captain in Nebraska and her partner were cited with child abuse after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old daughter in their locked, hot minivan while they went fishing.
Another couple who were fishing at the same lake as Mayde McGuire and her partner, Mary Tobiassen, found the girl in the vehicle.
Police said that McGuire, 54, and Tobiassen, 49, were fishing at Pawnee Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, on the afternoon of Sunday, August 23, when the other couple walked by their black minivan in the parking lot.
The couple noticed that a young girl was “crying and screaming” in the vehicle, according to authorities. Once they realized that the toddler was alone in the locked van, they called 911 for help.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department addressed the situation during a press conference on Monday, August 24, and confirmed that McGuire is a police captain with the Lincoln Police Department. She was off duty at the time of the incident.
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said that the toddler was in the vehicle by herself for at least 28 minutes before the other couple spotted her. The outdoor temperature was 78 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, though Wagner noted that the “interior of a vehicle can get extremely hot” in a short amount of time.
McGuire took the girl out of the vehicle before deputies arrived at the scene.
Police confirmed that the toddler was uninjured and has since been given back to her parents. McGuire took a preliminary breath test at the scene, and it was determined that she had blood alcohol content of 0.108.
An investigation was launched into the matter, and McGuire was placed on leave. Both McGuire and Tobiassen were cited for misdemeanor child abuse, but neither of them was arrested.
It is not currently clear whether McGuire or Tobiassen have entered pleas or retained legal counsel following the incident. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department had no additional updates to share when contacted by Us about the case.
Following the incident, the couple who found the toddler in the vehicle spoke to KOLN about the experience. Izabella Glover claimed that the girl had gotten out of her car seat and “crawled over” to the front seat of the minivan. She then started “banging” on the window.
Glover added that the girl appeared to be “in distress” as she seemingly searched for her parents.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
