Child wearing only diaper found wandering alone at night, California cops say
A mother has been arrested after California deputies say her 6-year-old daughter was found wandering alone “wearing only a diaper.”
Someone called 911 shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, after finding a girl wandering alone in Santa Clarita, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
The witness spotted the child, “who appeared to have developmental challenges and was wearing only a diaper,” crossing a major intersection alone, according to deputies.
“I was trying to stop her, but then she was just running from me, so I called the cops, and they found her over here,” Julius Rivera, who noticed the girl on the street, told KTLA.
Deputies said they used the child’s iPad to learn her name and home address.
When they arrived at the child’s home, deputies said they found her mother asleep inside.
The mother, deputies said, appeared to be intoxicated based on her “slurred speech, impaired coordination, and a strong odor of alcohol.”
Deputies said the mother was not aware her daughter had left home.
Given the girl’s age, “developmental condition, distance traveled, and the mother’s impaired state,” deputies said there was “a clear and present risk of serious injury or death.”
The mother, who was not identified, was arrested on a felony count of child endangerment, possible injury or death, according to deputies.
Deputies said they contacted the girl’s father, who took over caring for her.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was notified of the incident and is monitoring the case, deputies said.
Santa Clarita is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.
