Texas mother of three Katharine McClain said people often tease her husband, John McClain, because his name is the same as the lead character in the 1988 blockbuster movie “Die Hard.”
Although their last name spelling is one letter off, those who know the couple say they have one thing in common with the fictional persona lately: They are both heroes.
McClain, 52, told USA TODAY Monday that she and her husband, John McClain, 54, woke up early Saturday to the sound of a truck driving away from their home in Livingston, a small town about 70 miles northeast of Houston.
When they checked their home security camera, she said, they saw a shirtless man checking their vehicle doors and eventually learned someone stole their neighbor’s truck.
When daylight broke, she said, the couple’s dog Archie led them to an even bigger surprise: a crying baby in their outdoor shed
“My dog was barking around the shed and my husband went out there to see what was going on…. opened the door and the baby was laying on the floor,” said Katherine McClain, a US Army veteran and mother of three. “She had on a little dress and no diaper.”
So she said she picked up the baby and wrapped it in a towel after her husband told her to dial 911.
John McClane in ‘Die Hard’:30 pop-culture references that prove ‘Die Hard’ is as awesome as ever, 30 years later
“I don’t have words to explain my reaction,” said Katharine McClain, who shares two 15-year-old twins and a 17-year-old son with her husband. “Never been more worried or scared for a baby in all my life. Just complete and utter sorrow for her de ella with the unknown of what had or may have happened to her.”
Good babynews::The moment a young boy falls in love with his new baby brother
Mass school shooting in Russia:Gunman identified in school shooting that left 13 dead, 23 wounded in Russia
Photos show the child wrapped up in a towel while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
The baby was later taken by a hospital in Houston to be treated for a broken leg, McClain said.
Felony charges filed against father
The Livingston Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment about the case.
But authorities awning KHOU the McClain’s neighbor’s stolen truck was later found with the child’s father behind the wheel.
Records show he was booked in the Polk County Jail on charges including abandoning or endangering a child, the outlet reported.
Officials said a vehicle that belonged to the child’s father was found abandoned near railroad tracks behind the McClain property.
On Monday, McClain said, said the baby, who she learned is 9-months-old was back with it’s mother.
Meanwhile, throngs of people took to social media to praise the McClain’s for their quick action.
“I’m so glad y’all found her before she was in there all day and only who knows what would have happened,” Nancy Scharnhorst posted on Katharine McClane’s Facebook page.
Facebook user Patricia Hennessey added, “God bless you and John and I’m so glad that y’all found her when you did!”
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her de ella at [email protected] and follow her de ella on Twitter @nataliealund.
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism