South Carolina Sheriff's Deputy Who Saved the Life of a Baby a Year Ago Becomes the Child's Godfather

BERKELEY COUNTY, South Carolina -- A Berkeley County Sheriff's deputy who saved the life of a baby one year ago has now become the child's godfather.

Deputy William Kimbro pulled over a vehicle for speeding on June 11, 2019 and found a frantic mom and a 12-day-old baby who was not breathing, according to WCIV-TV.

The little girl named Ryleigh and the deputy have stayed in touch and now they are so much more.

"Today, one year ago, is the day that I met Ryleigh when I saved her life," Kimbro told the news station. "May 31st was Miss Ryleigh's 1-year-old birthday. It was phenomenal. We went to the birthday. It was great," he said."

When his doorbell rang last Wednesday, Ryleigh and her mom walked in and he was instantly surprised.

"She hands my wife and I these envelopes with a penny on them. She said, 'you'll need the penny.' She said, 'you'll need to read the card out loud.'" Kimbro said.

Underneath a scratcher, it read, "Will you be my godfather?"

"My jaw just dropped. I just had this look on my face, looked at Ryleigh. I said, 'absolutely, absolutely,' and my wife got the same card. Throughout the year, I reflected many times and in particular that day. [I] always asked myself, what was the reason I went down that street? There were five, six, seven other streets I could have gone down before going down that particular road. I could never answer that question. I just stopped trying. God works in mysterious ways," Kimbro told the news station.