A little girl has been reunited with her beloved lost toy ‘Bunny’ after losing it in a supermarket.
Three-year-old Madison was shopping with her mother Jenna Rachal in Publix, a supermarket chain in the US, when she left the stuffed animal in the trolley.
The toddler was understandably devastated. “We realised we lost Bunny when it was time for bed she was upset. It took a little longer to rock and get to sleep,” Jenna told HuffPost UK.
The pair returned to try and find the toy at the supermarket, but no one had handed the toy in. “When we did not find Bunny she did not want to go to her daycare, she said she wanted to stay with me and help me find Bunny.”
When her mother called the shop no one had handed the toy in. In a last ditch attempt to locate Bunny, Jenna posted to a local Facebook group to ask others if they had seen the toy.
Her post went viral, prompting store manager Mike Gayheart to scour CCTV to find where the toy might be, eventually spotting it being thrown in the rubbish outside and sent to landfill.
Mike then called on three employees, Alex Chandonnett, Jordan De La Rosa, and Bobby Barnhart, to form a search party for the toy. Miraculously, they found it.
“Bunny is a special friend to our daughter and we have missed him and so glad he is back,” Jenna wrote on Facebook.
For those worrying about the cleanliness of the rescued toy, Jenna said: “Mike took bunny home and washed him three times to get him nice and clean. Bunny still [has] a stench but we are so happy he is home. Maddie has not let him go and she says he doesn’t stink.”
Jenna said when the family returned to the supermarket, Madison opted to keep the toy in the car in case it got lost again. A smart move.
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