A postal employee has received two awards for heroism after finding two missing girls in San Diego County in the month earlier this year, KTLA sister station KSWB in San Diego reported on Monday.
The cases are not connected to one another, according to the station.
In the first one, a 15-year-old girl with autism was reported missing late in the evening on April 18.
Chyanne Thomas, who has been employed by the Vista Post Office for about a year, was approached by police during her shift the following day. Thomas was asked if she had seen the girl, named Abby, in the area.
She had not at that point.
But on the afternoon of April 20, Thomas noticed Abby not far from her designated stop for mail delivery. She immediately called 911 to report she had found Abby.
The next week, she spotted another child who appeared to be alone and afraid. The girl was 3 years old and did not speak English.
After 15 minutes of waiting with the child and not finding any parents around, Thomas called 911. She stayed with the little girl until her mother finally arrived.
“I had training in behavioral health and working with children on the spectrum,” Thomas told KSWB. “It helped me to know what to do in the situation.”
Thomas received two awards for her actions; she was pinned by the National Association of Letter Carriers and was presented a plaque.
“I love my job at the post office,” Thomas said. “If a child was in need, I would step in to help again.”