As a patrol sergeant for the Kingman Police Department in Arizona, Lt. Brian Zach sees many survivors of abuse.
Yet there was something special about Kaila, a little girl he was called to check on. At just 4 years old, the child had been neglected so badly that she only knew three words, but that didn’t stop Zach from bonding with her that night.
“We colored, we snacked… she held my hand, and she was just this cute little thing,” Zach said. “Once detectives came, they picked her up and took her to the hospital.”
Zach went home and told his wife Cierra about the precious child he’d helped. “He shows up, he’s like, ‘I got to hang out with the cutest little girl. She was so awesome,'” Cierra recalled.
It wasn’t the first time Zach had bonded with a kid in need on the job. He has seen many child abuse cases and always wishes he could rescue them and give them the life they deserve. And this time, he got that chance!
When Child Protective Services couldn’t find a place for Kaila, Zach and Cierra became foster parents so they could take her in!
The girl had no belongings, and since their two biological children are teenagers, the kindhearted parents weren’t equipped to welcome a child so young.
“We had to get a bed. We had to get a high chair, potty chair,” Zach explained. “She came with a bag of clothes that didn’t fit her and a sippy cup and that was it.”
Kaila was being treated for multiple injuries that she had suffered at the hands of her previous caregivers, but that didn’t stop her sweet personality from shining through as soon as she got settled in her new home. “She is so comical, she is so witty,” Zach said. “She’s just a character.”
Their family put Kaila in a charter school, where she began to thrive. It didn’t take long before she was calling Zach and Cierra “daddy and mommy.” She just fit right into their family!
So 30 months after that fateful first meeting, they officially adopted her! Zach said he hopes people will hear their story and decide to become foster parents too. After all, the effort to adopt Kaila was “well worth it.”
We commend this officer for making a case like this personal! We are wishing them all the best in their wonderful new life together!
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