A Texas mother and grandmother were arrested last week after a toddler was seen on camera roaming in the woods wearing only a dress and no shoes.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it was called by a property owner who saw the little girl on a game camera in the early hours of December 5 as temperatures hit the low 40s. The homeowner said the camera time stamp showed the girl at about 3 a.m., and she called 911 when she viewed the footage at about 6.
Deputies immediately launched a search, but about 90 minutes later, Haley Peoples reported that her 2-year-old daughter had “gotten out of the home” earlier that morning. Peoples said she found the girl at about 4:15 a.m. but did not contact law enforcement until just before 7:30, as deputies were frantically searching for the girl seen on the game camera.
When deputies arrived at Peoples’ home, they reporting finding “unsafe living conditions — including trash, soiled clothing, rotting food, rat droppings, and a heavy odor of urine.”
The little girl was also soiled, and medics requested a medical evaluation, which Peoples declined “and refused to change the child’s clothing.”
Deputies detained Peoples becaue of the hazardous conditions at the home and her refusal of medical care for the daughter.
As deputies were at the home, the little girl’s grandmother, Rebecca Kelly arrived but left when she was asked to wait for a supervisor. Deputies later learned that Kelly had gone to a nearby elementary school to remove the toddler’s three siblings from class.
“School staff reported she claimed CPS was arriving and told the children not to talk about the early-morning incident, calling it a ‘private family matter,'” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies found Kelly at the school and detained her. The toddler and her three siblings — all under the age of 8 — were taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation.
Peoples was ultimately charged with endangering a child, and Kelly was charged with interference with an abuse investigation. They have since been released on bond.
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[Featured image: Haley Peoples/Bexar County Sheriff’s Office]