NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A local family is frustrated after their 5-year-old was left on a daycare van for hours.

It’s a parent’s and grandparent’s worse nightmare: A child missing from a day care center.

“Nobody seemed to know, didn’t realize that she was missing during that time frame,” said Michelle Poitier, the child’s grandmother. “It had been over two hours later, between the time she was picked up from school and by the time my daughter got off of work and went to pick her up.”

Poitier says the scary situation happened last Friday. Her daughter, Alexis, went to the Mini Miracles Learning Center on Princess Anne Road to pick up her two children.

“My daughter walks through the door and the first thing my grandson said, because he attends there as well, is ‘They can’t find Aloria, we’re looking for Aloria.’ Initially, my daughter thought they were joking and then they told her that they were serious,” said Poitier.

After the search, they found Aloria asleep inside of the transportation van that had picked her up from school.

“Why had nobody missed her in that two-and-a-half hour time frame? I understand that you have a lot of kids that you’re taking care of, however as parents, we’re entrusting you with our children,” Poitier said.

10 On Your Side spoke with the daycare owner, Posie Jones. He says he can’t excuse what happened, but he can explain. Jones says the van driver was feeling nauseous, so she rushed the kids inside the center, not knowing Aloria didn’t get out of the van.

“It’s a very sad moment,” said owner Posie Jones. “We just all thank the lord that the little child — that she’s not hurt. We definitely 100-percent regret what happened and we’re willing to help them move on from the situation.”

Jones says he will do whatever he can to help the family move past this nightmare, which could’ve ended much differently.

Poitier is also frustrated by a lack of communication — she says the daycare didn’t reach out to her daughter until today. They plan to find a new daycare center for the children.