Wandering boy, 3, in Tumwater returned

The manager of the Tumwater Inn & Suites found a 3-year-old wandering alone in his pajamas on the sidewalk Friday morning, according to Tumwater police.

Police returned the tot to his frantic parents two hours later, when they showed up at the station to report the child missing, Detective Jen Kolb said. The parents are long-term guests at the hotel and recently moved to the area from out of state, she said.

The child walked out of his parents’ extended-stay guest room without anyone noticing and was found in the 5800 block of Capitol Boulevard about 9:15 a.m., Kolb said.

Kolb said Child Protective Services was notified, and although no one was arrested, police reports were being forwarded to the Thurston County prosecuting attorney’s office for review.

The hotel manager, Mimi Harmon, said her own son pointed out the toddler.

“He was walking up the sidewalk, so when I said, ‘Hey,’ he turned around, ran towards me and put his arms up,” she said.

Harmon said she walked the boy inside, fed him cereal and called police. Officers couldn’t find the parents when they took custody of the child, Kolb said.