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Child found wandering reunited with parents

Key to keeping childen inside at night is second lock, expert says

While a pair of Toronto parents frantically called police after waking up to find their little girl missing, police say she was happily watching cartoons at a local police station.

Police said the three-year-old girl got dressed, put on her rain boots, unlocked the door and walked to a nearby grocery store while her parents slept Monday morning.

At around 2:20 a.m, staff at the Sobey's grocery store on Broadview Avenue near Westwood Avenue noticed the child wandering around the parking lot and called police.

Police brought the girl to the station while officers knocked on doors in the neighbourhood, checked the local women's shelter and stopped people on the street, looking for her parents.

"Thankfully, this was a happy ending," said Toronto police Const. Craig Brister. "She was spoiled at the station and was in good spirits."

Around 5:15 a.m., her parents awoke to find their daughter missing and the front door open. They called police and were quickly reunited with the child.

Acting Staff Sgt. Al Locken with 54 Division said the little girl was not at all distraught.

"She was in here having a great time," he told CBC News. He said the girl was at their front desk, watching cartoons.

The girl didn't want to go home until the show she was watching was finished.

Brister said charges won't be laid, but cautioned parents of young children to child-proof their doors.

"It's a tough nut to crack and you got to be aware and when they're not in a crib, you almost have to sleep with one eye open," Brister said.

"The big thing is just being diligent, but it's tough because you can't watch them 24 hours a day."

Though this story has a happy ending, police remind parents to place a lock or a safety chain out of a young child's reach on external doors. They say that's exactly what the girl's parents will be doing today.