By msnbc.com staff
Harford County Sheriff's Office
Officials took this photo of the child left behind at a Chuck E. Cheese's in order to get her back to her parents via the media.
It's a case of mistaken responsibility that left a little girl in limbo for hours.
The 3-year-old, identified only as Harmony, was accidentally left behind by her mom and other relatives at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant because the adults in the group each thought someone else was taking her home, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office in Bel Air, Md.
The girl approached staff around 8 p.m. Sunday night to say she was thirsty. When no parents or guardians were found with her, the sheriff's office was contacted.
A manager recalled seeing a group of some four adults and 10 children but had no way to track them down because they paid in cash and had not made a reservation.
The child told officials that her mom had told her to get her jacket because the group was leaving, but that she instead went to play another game.
Local media aired the story as well as a photo of the child on the 11 p.m. newscast, leading to phone calls from Harmony's mother and father, who share joint custody of the child.
The sheriff's department called it all an unfortunate mistake.
"Harmony was inadvertently left behind at the restaurant, by family members who thought she was in the company of other family members," the department said in a statement. "There are no charges expected to be filed."
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