Naples Park toddler found in road while her grandma slept

NORTH NAPLES, Fla.- A grandmother accused of sleeping while her 2-year-old granddaughter played along a busy Naples Park street alone is responding to the allegations.

The Department of Children and Families is investigating after neighbors spotted the toddler alone on Monday. One man went over to the toddler’s home, unsure that was where she lived, banging on on the front and back doors numerous times. When no one answered the doors, he called 911.

Neighbors say while the grandma was sleeping, the toddler escaped through an open window.

Lynda Johnston, who identified herself as the child’s grandmother, is defending herself, saying she “laid down for a nap before my daughter had to leave for work…. Should I have continued to nap when she left for work? Nope. But the baby was in her crib napping so I thought I was safe for a little bit.”

When authorities arrived at the toddler’s home, they banged and yelled for over a minute before anyone responded to their calls.

“I’m not a bad grandma,” said Johnston, “I just made a mistake.”

“The grandmother just fell asleep,” said Sharon Kurtz. “They are good people, the mother and grandmother. It’s just unfortunate she crawled out the window.”

Other neighbors feared for the toddler’s life, saying cars regularly speed on the road where she was found.

“If one of those big trucks that haul trailers had of hit her, they would have never found the pieces of her,” said David Hanifen who found the little girl roaming. “It’s enough to make you think someone could of come over here and grabbed her and hauled butt.”

Neighbors said this is not the first time the 2-year-old has been playing alone near the roadway. They add it was the second time on Monday and she escaped earlier in the week.

“We are using measures to prevent this from happening, but in the meantime, my air conditioner broke and I had to open the window to keep us from overheating,” said Johnston, explaining why the window was open. “There’s no real excuse, but there is circumstantial reasons.”