Young kids found abandoned in filthy apartment as mom goes on cruise, Texas cops say
A 6-year-old and 8-year-old were left alone in an apartment as their mother went on a cruise, Texas deputies said.
The 29-year-old mother was seen leaving the Houston apartment building with luggage on April 4, neighbors told authorities. After multiple days, building residents noticed she hadn’t returned, according to court documents.
McClatchy News is not identifying the mother to protect the identity of the children.
Neighbors told Harris County deputies it was ”not the first time” a similar incident had happened, documents said.
Deputies were called to the apartment on April 9 for a wellness check, according to the documents.
They found the two young children alone in the apartment, which was in “complete disarray,” deputies said. Trash and food were scattered around the floor, and there was a “potent smell of urine” in the apartment, deputies said.
The mother had watched and communicated with her children through a camera in the apartment, the documents said. The 8-year-old also had a phone used to text the mother, deputies said.
Child Protective Services was contacted and the children’s aunt took custody of the children, deputies said.
The mother was arrested on April 11 on a charge of child abandonment. She was booked into Harris County Jail on a $40,000 bond, according to jail records.
Attorney information for the mother was not listed.
She is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.
This story was originally published April 12, 2024 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Young kids found abandoned in filthy apartment as mom goes on cruise, Texas cops say."
