A Texas mother was jailed after reportedly leaving her two small children at home alone for several days to go on a cruise, claims court records.
A criminal complaint charges Lakesha Williams, 29, of Houston, with abandoning a child with the intent to return, a crime.
Williams’ high-rise apartment building neighbors reportedly saw her depart with luggage on April 4 but “never saw her return,” according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, a mother in the apartment complex contacted law enforcement to request a wellness check because neighbors were concerned about the children’s safety.
Deputies conducted a welfare check on Tuesday, five days after Williams reportedly fled, and discovered an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl alone in the apartment, according to the complaint. The flat was in “complete disarray,” with trash and food strewn about and a “very potent smell of urine,” according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the children informed police that their mother left them on April 4 to go on vacation on a cruise, and they had no idea when she would return.
The allegation stated that no adults appeared to have been overseeing the children since then. According to the lawsuit, Williams allegedly utilized a video camera to view and talk to the children at the time, and the boy was texting her from his phone.
“These children were definitely left unattended for many days and put in serious harm’s way,” Keegan Childers, the top prosecutor of the 209th District Court, told Houston ABC station KTRK.
According to the lawsuit, a Child Protective Services agent responded to the scene to confirm the children’s well-being before releasing them to their aunt’s custody.
Deputies attempted to contact Williams to have her respond to the scene, but she “was not cooperating and was changing her story on her whereabouts,” according to the complaint.
Williams was detained on Thursday and has a court appearance scheduled for Monday, according to online court records. The records do not include any attorney information for her.