How could this happen? Toddler left a nursery in San Isidro unnoticed

The Guardia Civil is investigating how a child aged almost two managed to leave a municipal nursery on his own. The family alleges shortcomings in safety measures and raises questions about the staff’s actions.

A child who was about to turn two, left the municipal Los Peques nursery in San Isidro on his own and ended up alone on a nearby street. A woman found him crying and calling for his parents. The incident occurred on 8 October and became public on 13 October, after the family filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil.

According to local media reports, a woman spotted the child in the road and took him back to the nursery. The Guardia Civil confirmed that it received the complaint on 12 October and began investigating the circumstances of the incident.

According to the father’s account, he dropped his son off at the nursery at around 9:00 a.m. and received a WhatsApp message after 3:30 p.m. asking him to come to the centre. The father says he was told what had happened when he arrived.

Further details of the parents’ complaints have been published. The family questions whether the nursery has adequate physical safeguards to prevent children from leaving the premises on their own, as well as whether there are enough staff members. The parents claim that the daily report placed in the child’s backpack stated that he had been sleeping during a period when, according to information they received later, he was outside the nursery.

The parents consider the explanations they received inadequate and have referred the matter to their lawyers. These details reflect the family’s account and have yet to be verified during the investigation.

Staff noticed the child was missing during nap time when they found his bed empty, and began searching for him. According to published reports, a street surveillance camera could help reconstruct the sequence of events. So far, it has not been publicly established how long the child was alone or how he managed to leave the premises.

The Guardia Civil continues to investigate the circumstances of the incident. The inquiry is expected to determine how the child was able to leave the nursery and whether there were any failures in supervising the children or in the measures intended to ensure their safety.