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Police Still Haven't Talked To Grandmother Of Girl Abandoned At Independence Eve

DENVER (AP/CBS4) - A little girl found alone at Denver's Independence Day fireworks show will remain in the care of human services as police investigate what happened.

Police say the toddler was found in Civic Center Park on Friday and her mother was later located out-of-state after a friend saw photos of the child that were released by police.

The girl had been left in the care of her grandmother but police say no one reported her missing. Both police and Denver Human Services admitted to CBS4 it's a very rare case.

"She was found in a stroller in the middle of the park," Sonny Jackson with Denver police said. "Unfortunately we waited, we waited, we tried to locate an adult who may be with her and nobody showed up."

The case was hard because the little girl didn't know where her parents or grandparents were or even where she was from. There was an estimated 100,000 people at the park for the event.

toddler found abandoned child
(credit: Denver Police)

As of Monday evening police still haven't interviewed the grandmother, which means the case is not closed.

"To abandon a child is a crime, so we have a criminal investigation going on. But we also, more than that, we're concerned, where is this person she was with?" Jackson said.

It's still possible the grandmother wouldn't face charges depending on what investigators find.

While the circumstances are unusual, in normal cases sometimes nonprofits are brought in to help with child care or a therapist can be brought in for parenting classes. The human service department's main goal is to keep the family together.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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