Police Officer Adopts Little Girl He Helped Two Years Ago During Welfare Check

Brian Zach, lieutenant of the Kingman Police Department in Arizona, was already a father of two when he received a seemingly typical call while on duty as a patrol sergeant in 2018. Zach and the other officers on duty responded to the call regarding the residence, and it was there they found young Kaila – a little girl that would change Zach and his wife Cierra’s lives forever.
Kaila was a toddler at the time, and tragically, she had been the victim of abuse. As a result, she was removed from her home and immediately began to bond with Zach. While waiting for detectives to take her to the hospital, Zach and Kaila spent time playing and coloring. It was evident that Kaila felt comfortable with Zach, and the patrol sergeant felt a deep need to protect the little girl who, even after significant abuse, so trustingly placed her small hand in his.
By some twist of fate, after being treated for her injuries, CPS was unable to find a placement for Kaila. Incredibly and unexpectedly, Zach and Cierra’s family grew by one – the kind-hearted couple took Kaila in, opening their home and their hearts to the little girl who had never before had a safe space to call her own.
“She came with a sippy cup, a bag of clothes that didn’t fit her and that was it,” Zach told Good Morning America. “Within the second day she was calling my wife ‘mom’ or ‘mommy,’ I was ‘guy’ for a week or two and then when she started preschool she learned who dad was.”
The couple loved the little girl as their own, though it was unclear whether Kaila would be placed back with her former caregivers.
“Our goal was to love and care for this little girl for as long as it happened,” Zach explained.
Nearly two and a half years after Kaila first moved in with the Zach family, the days of wondering and worrying finally came to an end. The loving parents treated Kaila as their own child, and with each passing day, it became more difficult to imagine their family without her. Now, thankfully, they don’t have to. On August 18, the Zach family officially adopted Kaila. At last, the Zach family is complete, and Kaila will never again have to feel unsafe in her own home.