Without a mobile phone, it was impossible to locate Sandra, leaving her family and the authorities worried about her fate. After a few days and with no way to contact Sandra or the young children, the young family was deemed to be “at risk”.
According to CBS Sacramento, police decided to use an emergency alert system to issue a warning about her disappearance while also taking advantage of social media. Authorities sent alert text messages to all cellphones in the area, then posted Sandra’s picture on her Twitter account.
Barbie Leyden is an employee of a gas station who noticed photos of Sandra on the Internet. However, she didn’t expect to actually see her.
On Thanksgiving morning, Barbie was at the checkout when a tired customer walked into the store looking for a bath. Barbie does not seem to put a woman aside as a regular at a gas station.
After getting to know Sandra by her haircut, Barbie returned to the internet to take a second look at a photo of the missing woman as she told CBS Sacramento. It was then that she realized that Sandra was already using her toilet.
Once the bathroom door closed, Barbie grabbed the phone and reported to the police that the missing family was at the gas station. Officers arrived at the station before Sandra had a chance to exit the restroom.
According to NBC Bay Area News, Sandra apparently got lost on her way to her sister’s house and has been wandering in circles for several days. While she and her children were exhausted, they were all safe.
Now, Barbie Layden is considered a hero, and Sandra’s family will be forever grateful to her for her quick-wittedness and willingness to not overlook the grumpy hunch she had that Sandra wasn’t a regular customer.
