• Editor’s Note: This week (May 7-13, 2017) is Public Service Recognition Week. The following story is part of a series celebrating public servants in Kane County.

Public servants in Kane County include not only the full-time employees of government, but a battery of volunteers.

One of those volunteers is Jacob Murphy, a Kane County Office of Emergency Management volunteer whose kindness and training helped him quite possibly save the life of a sleepwalking girl who left her suburban house in the middle of the night.

(CREDIT: Screenshot from NBC5 video)

Murphy’s actions were recognized earlier this week in a report by NBC5 Chicago. You can see the NBC video report and story by clicking on this link.

According to the report, 8-year-old Bella Soto left her family’s home early Saturday morning (May 7, 2017) — apparently sleepwalking. She was walking about a half-mile from her family’s home in Carol Stream, when she was spotted by Murphy, who was on his way home from the airport.

“She had two backpacks, and she was just walking all by herself down the road,” Murphy told NBC 5.

Murphy stopped to help, and contacted Carol Stream police, who were able to reunite Bella with her family.

“I knew something was wrong, so I wanted to make sure she was safe,” Murphy said.

Bella’s mom, Jamie Soto, told NBC5 that Murphy’s actions very likely saved her daughter’s life.

“She’s a diabetic. She could have collapsed into a coma. She could have had a seizure. (There were) other possibilities that could have happened, and he prevented every one of those,” she told NBC5.

Soto launched a Facebook campaign to find her daughter’s hero and was able to locate Murphy. Their reunion was part of the NBC5 report.

“Murphy volunteers with the Kane County Office of Emergency Management and received training in how to deal with situations like this one,” the NBC5 story says. “He hopes sharing this story will encourage others to stop and help if they find themselves in a similar situation.”

SOURCE: Good Samaritan Saves Sleepwalking Girl, 8, on Side of Road | NBC Chicago