Trigger warning: explicit description of child abuse
Horror unfolded on a freezing morning in Mississippi, USA, when people noticed that a neglectful mother had brought her almost naked toddler to go grocery shopping, sparking outrage and the termination of the employee who sounded the alarm.
26-year-old Kambria Gabrielle Darby was arrested after she was filmed at her local Walmart with her shivering toddler dressed only in diapers during below-freezing temperatures.
Darby was subsequently charged with child neglect after police received a call to the store, located in Byram, Mississippi, around 10:30 am local time on January 17. Law enforcement had found her in the parking lot, according to WJTV.
A neglectful mother brought her almost naked toddler to Walmart, sparking outrage and the termination of the employee who sounded the alarm
Videos showing Darby getting confronted and ranting inside the store went viral after being posted by a Walmart employee under the Facebook username Fee Nicole.
The Walmart worker, whose real name is Felicia Darling, filmed the mother, who was wearing warm clothes, as she put the diaper-clad toddler into a cold shopping cart, according to WLBT.
Several shoppers reportedly confronted Darby while she walked around the hypermarket chain. At some point, a video captured Darby stopping at one of the freezer aisles and throwing a bag of frozen vegetables at the ice-cold child.
“He can’t be here without that jacket on,” a woman was heard saying off-camera. Another woman was heard chiming in: “That baby just had a Pamper on.”
A separate individual was heard in the video saying: “He’s sitting there shaking now.”
The footage showed a man demanding: “She’s throwing cold food on this child. What’s wrong with you?” To which the vicious parent replied: “Lower your voice. Who are you?”
The Walmart store was located in Byram, Mississippi
“You’re crazy,” another man told Darby before she turned around and delivered a vulgar rant, pausing only to twerk briefly for the camera, the New York Post reported.
“Somebody call the police on her,” a woman was heard saying in the viral footage.
After talking with Darby outside, the police discovered that the child had been put into clothing by kind-hearted shoppers inside the store but was still shaking from the cold.
In a separate video posted by Darling, a Walmart customer was seen dressing the child in clothes from the store while the mother stood nearby scrolling on her phone.
Darby was later let out on bond conditions ordered by the Hinds County Youth Court, according to WLBT.
Several shoppers reportedly confronted the mom, identified as Kambria Gabrielle Darby, while she walked around the hypermarket chain
@feenicole8Video got delete bc of the guide lines but here it goes again for some ppl who’s being asking for it♬ original sound – Fee Nicole
Emergency medical services crews were reportedly called to check on the neglected boy before Child Protection Services (CPS) arrived. The unfortunate kid was later released to an approved relative, as per The Post.
Upon her release from jail, Darby took to social media and defended her actions and the way she parented her children. She wrote in a 656-word Facebook post, viewed by the Daily Mail: “I have pics of every meal I’ve cooked them.”
“This deformation (sic) of character is hurting my heart.”
The now-infamous parent compared her treatment inside the Walmart last week to the way Jesus was treated, as she wrote: “They did Jesus the same way. He felt sick to his stomach as well; he didn’t want to go through it.”
Darby, a reported mother of three, revealed she hadn’t seen her children since the incident and didn’t have a decent meal because of it. She wrote: “I haven’t seen my kids since they were taken away from me by CPS.”
A Walmart customer was seen dressing the child in clothes from the store while the mother stood nearby scrolling on her phone
“Last night was my first night eating a few crackers since my kids have been gone.
“I know this too shall pass. I know one day me and my kids will be reunited.”
Darby’s family have since come out in support, saying she’s a good mother.
Her great-aunt, 69-year-old Marie Darby Pickens, who lives in Jackson, Mississippi, where Darby and many of her relatives reside, said she had never seen evidence of her niece being a bad mother.
Pickens, a retired social worker, also affirmed that her niece did not use drugs, The Post reported. She told the publication: “Everything I’ve seen with her and the kids has been positive.
“I don’t condone what was done, and it was right to be reported, but we don’t know both sides of the story.
“Sometimes kids can be difficult [by] not wanting to put their clothes on or taking them off, and maybe she was in a rush to pick up some things.”
“He can’t be here without that jacket on,” a woman was heard saying off-camera
@feenicole8Part 2♬ original sound – Fee Nicole
Pickens reportedly said Kambria brought her three kids to see their 92-year-old great-great grandmother when she was dying, and she “acted very appropriately and so did the kids.”
She further stated: “I’m not saying there are underlying mental health issues in her case, but you need to find out her story.
“What she did showed poor judgment, certainly, and it’s very unfortunate because one incident like this can ruin a life.”
Meanwhile, Darby’s mother, Lakiisha Darby, told The Post: “The family hopes to return back to their life prior to this incident and will have no further comment.”
Darby, a reported mother of three, revealed she hadn’t seen her children since the incident
As for Walmart employee Darling, who had filmed Darby’s questionable demeanor, she has since come out to claim that she was fired after posting the viral videos.
Darling took to her Facebook page to announce that she had been terminated following the incident, as she wrote: “Yessss, I got fired bc of this video. No, I wasn’t thinking about the consequences when I posted the video.
“I was concerned about the baby that’s all, and I pray that child is somewhere safe now!!!”
In a statement to The Post, Walmart said it shared “the concern others have for the child in the video.”
They added: “We don’t discuss personnel matters involving current or former associates.
“All associates are encouraged and empowered to use their judgment in contacting authorities when they see something that may be wrong, however, all associates are also expected to follow the Walmart Code of Conduct.”
“It is so sad,” a reader commented
