A Black Mississippi mother gained a slew of attention after being caught on camera by a Walmart employee, strolling around her toddler who was dressed in nothing but a diaper. After facing serious backlash, she decided it was time to clear the air.
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The viral video, recorded by ex-Walmart employee Felicia Darling, captured 26-year-old Kambria Darby shopping around the freezer section of the Byram store with a young boy in the cart on Jan. 17. In the video, the boy is seen with his chest, legs and arms exposed as well as his feet. After getting into an argument with a few customers who confronted her about the child’s lack of clothing, Darling threatened to call the police on the woman.
In the clip, Darby responded saying she’d already been reported to the police twice and passed every examination.
However, according to a WJTV report, that day marked her third interaction with the police as an officer arrested her as she walked back to her car in the parking lot. Her son was taken from her and examined by paramedics after officers said he was shuddering from the below freezing temperature outside even after being dressed by customers inside the store.
Most social media users slammed her for being a neglectful mother but Darby’s great-aunt insists the situation is not remotely close to that.
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But Darby’s great-aunt, Marie Darby Pickens, 69, who lives in Jackson, Miss. where Kambria and many of her relatives reside, said she had never seen evidence of Kambria being a bad mother. She also said she did not use drugs.
“Everything I’ve seen with her and the kids has been positive,” Pickens, a retired social worker, told The Post. “I don’t condone what was done and it was right to be reported but we don’t know both sides of the story. Sometimes kids can be difficult not wanting to put their clothes on, or taking them off and maybe she was in a rush to pick up some things.”
“I’m not saying there are underlying mental health issues in her case, but you need to find out her story. What she did showed poor judgment, certainly, and it’s very unfortunate because one incident like this can ruin a life.”
Darby was charged with child neglect but released on bond conditions ordered by the Hinds County Youth Court, per WJTV’s report. Upon her release, she took to social media, posting an essay-long post defending herself against the backlash.
She attached a slew of images of her three children in various settings like Disney World or a pumpkin patch, noting that her children are always dressed nicely and never wear the same outfit twice. She said since the arrest, CPS took away her children.
“This deformation of character is hurting my heart. In no way, shape or form am I mentally ill nor a neglectful parent. We aren’t poor. I’m not a bum neither are my children,” her post read.
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