Charges: Mother who left 6-year-old on northern Minnesota highway said God told her to do it

A 39-year-old mother has been charged after she told Cook County, Minnesota deputies she left her 6-year-old daughter shoeless on the side of the road because God told her to.

Jaydin Pankow, 39, of Waupaca, Wisconsin, was arrested the night of Dec. 10 after two good Samaritans found her daughter on the side of Hwy. 61 in Grand Portage.

Charges say the child was barefoot and not dressed for “near-freezing” weather. Pankow faces one felony count of child endangerment.

After her arrest, Pankow told deputies that, “God told her to leave the child on the highway in order to save her,” according to the charges.

The Sheriff gives thanks

This week, Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen thanked the two men who helped rescue the child from the side of the road and called 911.

Eliasen identified them as Dan Deschampe, Sr. and Delwyn Wilson. He thanked them for their “commitment to community and service.”

“These two men stepped in and saved a child from an unthinkable situation last night and they deserve to be recognized for this,” Eliasen said. “The Cook County Sheriff’s Office thanks you and I want to personally thank you for your actions.”

The charges say the men gave the girl a pair of socks to help her warm up in their car until police arrived.