Family of a four-year-old left the Warsaw school bus hoping to gain clarity about the incident

WARSAW, Ill. (KHQA) – After an incident in which a four-year-old was left unattended on a Warsaw school bus on Monday, September 16, the child's family is hoping for more answers from the school district.

Amelia Tibbits was on her way to preschool at Warsaw Elementary School but didn't get off the bus before the driver parked it and left at 8:10 a.m. It was only over two hours later that she was discovered by a teacher nearby after he honked the bus horn. According to the family, they were kept in the dark in the meantime.

“We didn’t even get an absence note from the school saying she was even away. I would have been up there at 9:30, you know, whenever they compete, 8:30. You know, she wasn't there.” “At school, absent. Notify people. And it still hasn’t been fixed,” said Amelia’s grandfather, James Phillips.

The missed call didn't reach any of the family members that day, a problem the family says still exists nearly two weeks later.

Meanwhile, the Tibbits family had to call the school themselves and file a report with the sheriff's department before finally learning of Amelia's whereabouts. Finally, Phillips was able to see his granddaughter face to face.

“The worst and the best. The worst feeling: “Oh my God, I lost a child, you know, especially my grandchild.” And I said, “You know, my daughter is probably going to kill me.” And then when I saw her, And then “She saw me and waved, 'Oh yeah, I might cry again,” Phillips said.

Those involved hope that the bus camera footage will be released to help understand how Amelia was left on the bus. However, no one was able to download the footage in question and it has since been sent out in hopes of being recovered. The family told KHQA they hope the case goes through proper chain of custody to be properly uncovered.

Over a week later, the incident took its toll.

“I stayed up all night and had nightmares. Well, what if the thought goes through your head, go away. I mean, she had her Gatorade and her sippy cup and she drank, thank God, but I don't know how hot it was on that bus or that day,” Phillips said.

The family also says they want to bring more awareness to the situation in hopes that the school district will prevent more incidents from happening to other children in the future.

KHQA is also working to obtain a copy of the bus footage once it is retrieved.