Her mother, Tamara Turner, says sometime around 10 a.m., her daughter walked away from the school.
Turner says the first grader ended up in the parking lot of the E Z Pass Food Mart, which is about three blocks away.
She says the neighborhood has a history of crime and violence.
"Sapona Road is a drug invested area and ... a pedofile or anybody could have picked my child up," Turner said. "They could have been in South Carolina or Virginia … out of state, anywhere. And something terrible could have happened to my child."
A family friend saw the child in the parking lot and took her to a relative's house.
According to the school's Web site, it's operated by Dr. E.B. Herman and his wife, Pastor Rosa Herman.
Dr. Herman says the child was brought to the principal's office, when the 7-year-old told the principal she needed to go to the bathroom.
After several minutes she didn't return. That's when they called police.
Turner says she is glad her child is safe, but all that's been running through her mind is the Shaniya Davis case - the 5-year-old who was recently raped and murdered.
"We cannot have another incident like that with Shaniya, because it could have been my daughter," Turner said. "We could have been looking for her right now … if it weren't for the grace of God."
Turner says her daughter will no longer attend the school.
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