Texas School Loses Young Boy Who Was Found Nearly a Mile Away

'We can't find your child is something no parent ever wants to hear on a phone call from their child's school.

THE TERRIFYING PHONE CALL FROM SCHOOL

Taylor Singleton is the mother of Carter, a 4-year-old boy who goes to school in Alvin ISD. Singleton said she received a terrifying phone call from Meridiana Elementary School alerting her that her son had gone missing.

MISTAKEN AS A 'WALKER'

The 4-year-old boy carries a 'bus rider tag' on his backpack, letting staff know where he is supposed to go after school. That day, Carter had mistakenly been merged into the lane meant for students who walk home.

Alvin ISD explained, "The student left campus at dismissal after getting in the "walker" line instead of the "bus rider" line, where he followed other children away from campus."

SPOTTED DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO HIGH-VOLUME TRAFFIC

Carter walked for nearly a mile before another mother spotted him near a Starbucks parking lot. The boy was terrifyingly only yards away from the busy 288-Frontage Road.

"When she said that they saw him close to 288, I immediately broke down because I'm like, 'My son's going to get picked up, or he's going to get hit,'" Singleton said.

The mother who found Carter called the police, who quickly arrived and safely returned young Carter to school.

STILL LEFT UNCERTAIN

This entire situation could have ended much more tragically and Singleton is still left questioning, "How does this happen? He's a 4-year-old walking by himself."

Alvin ISD announced they have altered safety protocols to ensure something like this never happens again. Singleton says she understands mistakes happen but adds this should have never happened in the first place, "This could have been a mistake that could have cost us our child."