A three-year-old child was found riding a Spider-Man push bike alone in Gaffney on Friday, prompting police to launch an urgent search for the child's guardian before locating the guardian a short time later. The child was spotted in the roadway just before 1 p.m., setting off a scramble involving local police and state social workers.
Officers said the toddler was located near Logan Street and Providence Road, according to Fox Carolina. The outlet reported that the Gaffney Police Department was initially unable to locate the child's guardian and was actively working with the South Carolina Department of Social Services to sort out what happened. A separate account from WYFF described the child being found on a Spider-Man bike in the roadway near Logan Street and Providence Road.
Gaffney police had asked the public to help identify the child, who was believed to be approximately three years old, and urged anyone with information to contact Cherokee County dispatch. That number, 864-487-2747, was shared alongside the option to call 911, per the police department's request relayed through WYFF.
Guardian Found
The search did not last long. A later update confirmed that the child's guardian had been found, and that no additional assistance from the public was needed at this time. The South Carolina Department of Social Services was investigating the case.
Second Gaffney Case Involving a Wandering Child
This is not the only recent case of its kind in Gaffney. A September report described police finding a young boy walking alone along the 800 block of North Limestone Street before eventually locating his guardians, with DSS again stepping in to take over that investigation. Together, the two incidents mark at least two separate cases this fall of young children found wandering without a parent or guardian nearby in the small Cherokee County city.
Details remain limited in both cases. Investigators have not released the names of the children or their guardians in either incident, and the ultimate outcome of the DSS reviews has not been made public.
