An ambulance rushed her to St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital.
Doctors diagnosed severe dehydration, dangerous electrolyte imbalance, and complications from her kidney condition.
Fortunately, they were able to stabilize her.
Meanwhile, Laura refused to believe Raymond had deliberately disappeared.
The following morning, she began tracing his movements.
At a nearby pawn shop, the owner confirmed Raymond had sold a plain gold wedding ring for sixty dollars.
“He asked me not to melt it,” the man recalled. “He wanted to buy it back after payday.”
At the pharmacy, an employee remembered Raymond arriving soaked from the rain.
He had purchased Ashley’s prescription and electrolyte drinks.
When he came up a few dollars short, the pharmacist covered the difference.
Raymond had repeatedly thanked him, explaining that his daughter was sick and he needed to get home.
The grocery store confirmed he had purchased rice, chicken, crackers, and applesauce shortly afterward.
Then Laura searched the road between the store and Raymond’s house.
Near a drainage ditch, she spotted a torn grocery bag.
Inside were muddy groceries and a pharmacy package bearing Ashley’s name.
Laura immediately contacted the county accident department.
One pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle on that road Thursday night.
The injured man had been taken unconscious to Riverside General Hospital without identification.
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