How two Dubai residents helped find missing six-year-old girls at mall
A routine shopping trip turned into a tense but ultimately heartwarming moment for Dubai resident Otavio Soccol and his wife on Wednesday evening, as they helped reunite two missing young children with their parents.Two six-year-old girls went missing in Dubai Hills on February 4 evening for several hours. WhatsApp groups and social media pages were abuzz as residents poured into the streets, turning fear into a collective community response. They were later found and and Dubai Police confirmed the safety of two girls who had left their "residential neighbourhood on their own."What followed in the hours between their disappearance and being found, was a display of neighbourhood solidarity. Families searched together, shared updates, and watched over one another until the uncertainty passed, with one family at the heart of it all.Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.“It was something quite surreal, because I didn't really have much time in between hearing about the news and seeing the child,” Soccol told Khaleej Times on Thursday, as he recounted the incident.How the children were foundThe couple was at a local mall around 8pm, browsing in a store when Soccol’s wife noticed two young children looking confused near the cash counter.“There were these two kids, who were a bit confused. They were close to the till, and my wife Gabriella was actually flagging to me. She said, ‘look at those kids. They seem to be alone. Where is all that money?’ They had a lot of money scattered on the floor, and they were counting it,” added the Brazilian expat.Soccol was distracted by his phone, scrolling through social media, when he saw a post in the school parents’ WhatsApp group about missing children. “I pulled out WhatsApp, and it was the school parents’ group. Suddenly I look at the picture and see missing kids, and I'm like, wow, that's unusual in Dubai — it’s such a safe place. So, I looked at the picture, then at the child in front of us, and it looked so much like the same child. I wanted to make sure I was not hallucinating. Is this the same child? Then my wife goes, ‘Yeah, this is the truth.’ We confirmed the second child, and suddenly we were in the middle of this situation.”Otavio Soccol and his wife Gabriella The couple immediately coordinated with the store staff and mall management to ensure the children’s safety and alert the authorities. "We told him (store manager) to call the police immediately. I was matching the faces with the picture. We approached calmly. The store staff were very helpful. They had also noticed something strange about the two kids, because they had been in the shop for two hours.”The children had apparently been preparing to sleep outside, having shopped for a tent and selected bags. The couple calmly approached them, with the wife taking over the conversation to reassure the children.“We just calmed them down. We made a short video of the children saying that they were okay, and sent it back to the parents and put them at rest, because one can imagine the ordeal that the parents went through.”Praising Dubai's community support networksThe Brazilian couple contacted the parents directly and waited with the children until authorities arrived. “We stayed around with the kids until they arrived. My wife also insisted that we stay until the police arrived and the documents were checked before letting everything go. When the parents arrived, as one can imagine, they were quite emotional.”Soccol, a father of two, reflected on the experience and its impact.“This is something that can happen to any one of us. I've seen situations like this happen to my family before, and it's really humbling. You really see yourself in a situation where every single problem in your life seems to be so small. Losing a child… is when your entire world collapses. I can really relate to the parents because this will be ingrained in their memories. It's a very humbling experience. It really puts everything in perspective.”He also praised Dubai for its safety and community networks. “Dubai's an incredible place, we are extremely grateful to the UAE for providing us with this safe place where we can rely on such networks and just knowing that this network and this team could be there for us, in case it happens to our children. It’s really impressive.”
A routine shopping trip turned into a tense but ultimately heartwarming moment for Dubai resident Otavio Soccol and his wife on Wednesday evening, as they helped reunite two missing young children with their parents.
Two six-year-old girls went missing in Dubai Hills on February 4 evening for several hours. WhatsApp groups and social media pages were abuzz as residents poured into the streets, turning fear into a collective community response. They were later found and and Dubai Police confirmed the safety of two girls who had left their "residential neighbourhood on their own."
What followed in the hours between their disappearance and being found, was a display of neighbourhood solidarity. Families searched together, shared updates, and watched over one another until the uncertainty passed, with one family at the heart of it all.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“It was something quite surreal, because I didn't really have much time in between hearing about the news and seeing the child,” Soccol told Khaleej Times on Thursday, as he recounted the incident.
How the children were found
The couple was at a local mall around 8pm, browsing in a store when Soccol’s wife noticed two young children looking confused near the cash counter.
“There were these two kids, who were a bit confused. They were close to the till, and my wife Gabriella was actually flagging to me. She said, ‘look at those kids. They seem to be alone. Where is all that money?’ They had a lot of money scattered on the floor, and they were counting it,” added the Brazilian expat.
Soccol was distracted by his phone, scrolling through social media, when he saw a post in the school parents’ WhatsApp group about missing children.
“I pulled out WhatsApp, and it was the school parents’ group. Suddenly I look at the picture and see missing kids, and I'm like, wow, that's unusual in Dubai — it’s such a safe place. So, I looked at the picture, then at the child in front of us, and it looked so much like the same child. I wanted to make sure I was not hallucinating. Is this the same child? Then my wife goes, ‘Yeah, this is the truth.’ We confirmed the second child, and suddenly we were in the middle of this situation.” Otavio Soccol and his wife Gabriella
The couple immediately coordinated with the store staff and mall management to ensure the children’s safety and alert the authorities. "We told him (store manager) to call the police immediately. I was matching the faces with the picture. We approached calmly. The store staff were very helpful. They had also noticed something strange about the two kids, because they had been in the shop for two hours.”
The children had apparently been preparing to sleep outside, having shopped for a tent and selected bags. The couple calmly approached them, with the wife taking over the conversation to reassure the children.
“We just calmed them down. We made a short video of the children saying that they were okay, and sent it back to the parents and put them at rest, because one can imagine the ordeal that the parents went through.”
Praising Dubai's community support networks
The Brazilian couple contacted the parents directly and waited with the children until authorities arrived. “We stayed around with the kids until they arrived. My wife also insisted that we stay until the police arrived and the documents were checked before letting everything go. When the parents arrived, as one can imagine, they were quite emotional.”
Soccol, a father of two, reflected on the experience and its impact.
“This is something that can happen to any one of us. I've seen situations like this happen to my family before, and it's really humbling. You really see yourself in a situation where every single problem in your life seems to be so small. Losing a child… is when your entire world collapses. I can really relate to the parents because this will be ingrained in their memories. It's a very humbling experience. It really puts everything in perspective.”
He also praised Dubai for its safety and community networks. “Dubai's an incredible place, we are extremely grateful to the UAE for providing us with this safe place where we can rely on such networks and just knowing that this network and this team could be there for us, in case it happens to our children. It’s really impressive.”
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