Video: Woman Leaves Friend's Toddler On Stranger's Doorstep
SPRING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Authorities in the Houston area say a two-year-old boy was abandoned at a stranger's doorstep by a woman who is a friend of his mother. The woman faces a charge of child abandonment, a felony.
Authorities say deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in Spring, Texas Wednesday evening. The 911 caller said she heard a knock on her door, and when she answered it, she found a two-year-old child standing at the door.
Surveillance video captured a woman arriving in a white car and running towards the door with the child in hand. She was seen ringing the doorbell, knocking on the door and then running back to her car while leaving the child behind. She also left two bags behind.
Authorities say the father of the child was approached by a media partner Thursday morning as he was leaving his home and was asked about the child in the video. The father immediately recognized the child as his own, and authorities were called.
During the investigation, authorities found out that the mother of the child, who was in the hospital, had texted the father that her friend was going to drop off the boy at his home Wednesday afternoon. The father told detectives that when the child hadn't arrived in the afternoon, he assumed plans changed and left for the evening.
Authorities say the mother's friend dropped off the child later that evening at the wrong home and didn't stay to make sure anyone was home. She faces a charge of child abandonment, which is a felony.
Authorities know the woman's identity but will not release her name.
The child appeared to be uninjured and in good health. He is currently in the custody of Child Protective Services. Authorities say it will be up to CPS on if the child will be returned to his parents.
