Family of woman arrested after taking baby only wearing diaper to Walmart in freezing temperatures speaks out

The family of a Mississippi woman arrested for child abuse after taking her toddler shopping at Walmart with only a diaper on during freezing temperatures said she is a good mom.

Kambria Gabrielle Darby, 26, was charged with child neglect after police received a call to the store around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 17 and found the mother in the parking lot, according to WJTV.

Darby’s confrontation and rant inside the store went viral after the video was posted by a Walmart employee.

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.”

Pickens said Kambria brought her three kids to see their 92-year-old great-great grandmother when she was dying and she “acted very appropriately and so did the kids.”

“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.”

Kambria’s mother, Lakiisha Darby, hung up on a Post reporter who heard the sound of young kids in the background.

Lakiisha later texted: “The family hopes to return back to their life prior to this incident and will have no further comment.”

The Walmart employee, whose real name is Felicia Darling, began recording the video after watching the mother, appropriately dressed for the 20-degree temperature outside in a sweater, pants, and boots, put the diaper-clad toddler into a cold shopping cart, according to WLBT.

Several shoppers at the Byram, Miss. location confronted Darby as she made her way through the store, stopping at one of the freezer aisles and tossing a bag of frozen vegetables which hit the shivering child, the footage showed.

She was let out on bond conditions ordered by the Hinds County Youth Court, according to WLBT.

EMS crews were called to check on the child before Child Protection Services arrived.

The toddler was later released to an approved relative.

After she was released from jail, Darby took to social media and defended her actions and the way she parented her children.

“I have pics of every meal I’ve cooked them’ as proof of her parenting fitness. This deformation [sic] of character is hurting my heart,” she wrote in a 656-word Facebook post, viewed by the Daily Mail.

Darby compared her treatment inside the Walmart last week to Jesus.

“They did Jesus the same way, he felt sick to his stomach as well; he didn’t want to go through it.”