A Texas mother was arrested after allegedly abandoning her two young children to go on a cruise, leaving them home alone for nearly a week, officials said.
Lakesha Woods Williams, 29, was charged with two counts of child endangerment last Thursday after officers found her children, 8 and 6, alone in their Houston high-rise apartment complex unsupervised of an adult, according to Harris. Campaign Agent – Constituency 5.
Willimas left her children on a solo vacation on April 4 and returned on the night of April 10. She was arrested the next day.
Concerned neighbors called for help after becoming concerned about the well-being of the brothers and sisters, according to the gendarme.
Neighbors saw Williams leaving the building with her luggage on April 4 and noticed she did not return home after several days, according to court records obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Officers visited the apartment on April 9 and found the two children alone in the apartment, trashed with trash and food all over the floor and a “powerful odor of urine,” according to the documents.
The place was “in complete disarray,” deputies said.
The children said their mother had gone on a cruise and was communicating with them via a camera in the apartment and via text messages to the 8-year-old.
The children were examined by paramedics as well as child protective services. They were removed from the apartment and are now in the care of their aunt.
Neighbors told deputies it was “not the first time” they were left at home without adults.
“We are still piecing together the facts and circumstances as to how these children were left alone for several days,” said Officer Ted Heap. “But the important thing is that they are safe now and those responsible should be held accountable for leaving these children in a dangerous situation.”
Williams was booked into the Harris County Jail on $40,000 bail, according to jail records.
She is expected to appear in court on Monday.
New York Post
