Cordova parents speak out after they say their child was led out of the school by another student

CORDOVA, Ala. (WBRC) - How would you feel if you received a call that your child is missing from school? Two parents in Cordova who found out that exact feeling on August 16 have spoken out.

Both of Camreigh Smith’s parents want answers. They believe their daughter, who just entered kindergarten three days ago, was led off campus by an older student.

“She was scared to death. Didn’t really know what was going on. She thought she was getting checked out to go home, and she just ended up being drug around the whole town for hours,” said Camreigh’s father Eddie Smith.

But how did two students below the age of 12 get out of Cordova Elementary?

“Camreigh, our daughter was in class and the fourth grader came in to the classroom. Told the teacher she was getting checked out and that she was there to escort her to the office. As soon as they got out in the hallway the little girl took her out the side door and took off walking with her.”

According to a Cordova Public Safety post the kids were seen on video leaving the campus at 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday. The School Resource Officer then informed the Walker County Sheriff’s Office that two children were missing from Cordova Elementary School at 1:07 p.m. During that gap, the families were notified and panic set in.

“Extremely frantic. It was roughly an hour before we found out that she had been found from the time we had gotten the call.”

Both children were then found 0.3 miles from the school, an hour and 33 minutes after they left the campus. Still, Camreigh’s parents have questions.

“We just want to know why and how it happened and we don’t want it to ever happen to another parent or child again.”

The Walker County School System shared this statement regarding the incident.

“We thank God that the students involved are safe and home with their parents. Fortunately, existing security measures and communication helped teachers and officers as they worked to locate the children. We are continuing to analyze and upgrade our security. I commend our educators and thank Sheriff Smith, Chief Culverson, and their officers.”

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