Mom, grandmother arrested after 2-year-old found wandering alone in woods: Sheriff
The mother and grandmother of a 2-year-old girl were arrested in San Antonio, Texas, after the toddler was found wandering the woods barefoot and alone early Friday morning.
Haley Peoples, the child's mother, and Rebecca Kelly, the child's grandmother, were booked into the Bexar County Jail on Friday on various charges.
According to a statement from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), sheriff's deputies responded to a call around 6 a.m. from a concerned neighbor, who spotted the child while reviewing trail camera video footage, wandering alone and wearing only a dress with no shoes at 3 a.m.
"With temperatures in the 40s, this little girl faced potential life-threatening danger at that hour," according to the BCSO statement. The call "immediately prompted a search for the unidentified child," the BCSO said.
Sheriff's deputies then received a call at 7:20 a.m. from the girl's mother, Haley Peoples, according to the BCSO.
"Haley claimed she found the child outside at 4:15 a.m. but did not contact law enforcement for several hours while deputies were actively searching," the BCSO statement said.
Deputies then visited the girl's home, where "they found unsafe living conditions – including trash, soiled clothing, rotting food, rat droppings, and a heavy odor of urine," according to the BCSO statement.
"The child was also found soiled, prompting EMS to request a medical evaluation. Peoples declined care and refused to change the child’s clothing," the statement said.
Deputies then detained Peoples "due to the hazardous conditions, refusal of medical care, and the severe risk posed to the child," according to the BCSO.
During the investigation of the home, Peoples' mother and the child's grandmother, Rebecca Kelly, allegedly tried to remove the girl's three siblings from the elementary school they were attending, prior to 9 a.m., according to the BCSO statement.
"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 statement said. "This attempt to interfere with a child-safety investigation further endangered the siblings and obstructed lawful efforts to ensure their wellbeing."
"Haley Peoples was arrested for Abandoning/Endangering a Child – Imminent Danger of Bodily Injury, and Rebecca Kelly was arrested for Interference with Investigation of Abuse/Neglect" and were both booked into the Bexar County Jail, according to the BCSO statement.
The four children, all of whom were under the age of 8, were transported to a hospital for investigation, the BCSO said.
