By Laura French
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — Two North Carolina paramedics helped identify a missing girl and reunite her with her family after noticing red flags during a call.
Wake County Paramedics Nicholas Naylor and Rick Reynoso responded with police officers to a call about a teenage girl wandering the streets on Oct. 30, according to Wake County officials. The medics said that while treating the girl and transporting her to the hospital, their instincts told them something wasn’t right.
“I have studied about human trafficking, an issue so great around our area, this nation and the world,” Naylor said in a statement. “Immediately, when we began to assess this situation, red flags were raised.”
The medics searched the girl’s name online and discovered a tweet from a police department in another state reporting that she was a missing person.
“Things just didn’t match up as we were talking to her,” Reynoso stated. “Here she is, eight hours from home with no family nearby. I would’ve been very worried if it was my kid, and I’d want people to follow up and be sure she was okay.”
Naylor and Reynoso alerted hospital staff, who managed to contact the patient’s family. She has since been discharged from the hospital and reunited with relatives.
“Our EMS professionals are committed to serving our community and they go above and beyond every day,” said Dr. Jose Cabañas, Wake County EMS director and medical director, in a statement. “During these unprecedented times, there are a lot of demands on public safety providers. It’s important to take the time to listen to your instincts. As we’ve seen in this case, it can really make a difference.”