Video: Kevin Peters' 11 News report

HOUSTON—The family of a little girl abducted from a Houston daycare center Friday wants answers about their terrifying ordeal.

Shemika Thacker-Brantley, the girl’s mother, said that while she’s thankful to have her daughter back, she blames the daycare center for not performing thorough background checks on its employees.

Her daughter, Jakaila “K.K.” Brantley, was taken from the daycare by Raeshala Rhylette Morris, a woman who worked there.

“It was the worst day and best day of my life, all wrapped up into one,” Thacker-Brantley said.

Morris, 21, was charged with kidnapping Saturday. Morris had her child taken away for physical neglect.

She had recently been living at a homeless shelter and was working as a trainee at the daycare.

“Had they done a simple background check, they would have known she wasn’t supposed to be there,” Thacker-Brantley said.

Brantley’s family said they believe Morris was trying to pass the little girl off as a boy, changing her outfit and rearranging her hair in a more masculine style.

“I didn’t even want them to sleep by themselves,” Thacker-Brantley said. “I’m just happy and relieved that she’s back with us, that she’s safe. That nothing is wrong with her, and she’s OK.”

The family was reunited after hours of searching for K.K.

“I just want to thank everyone.  The emergency workers, the police officers, all the news channels – everyone who helped get her picture out there,” Thacker-Brantley said.

11 News

Raeshala Rhylette Morris is facing kidnapping charges.

Before police found her with Morris, there was a false alarm.

Police mistook another young girl walking with her mother for K.K. at the Westpark Transit Center.

The mother of the other child was handcuffed but quickly released. “Thank you, Jesus, thank you!” she shouted as she walked away after being detained at the transit center. “I hope she find her baby cause I understand, but thank you Jesus.”

In the end, K.K. was found not far from the daycare center in Morris’ arms on Club Creek and Bissonnet. 

Child care licensing will be at the daycare Monday morning to try to figure out how an employee could just walk away with a child.  They plan to look into child-to-staff ratios and find out if the daycare has violated any policies in the past.

“I haven’t really stopped crying yet,” K.K.’s father, Fritzvoneric Brantley, said. “No parent should ever have to go through that.”

Though the daycare owner apologized to him, Brantley said the center needs to be held accountable.