A Texas mother has been arrested for allegedly leaving her two young children home alone for nearly a week while she went on a cruise, according to officials.
Lakesha Woods Williams, a 29-year-old woman, has been charged with two counts of child endangerment. The incident occurred in a high-rise apartment complex in Houston, where authorities found her 8-year-old and 6-year-old children alone. This information was shared by the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office in a Facebook post on April 12th.
According to court records, Williams’ neighbors became concerned when they noticed her leaving the apartment with luggage on April 4 and not returning. They promptly alerted the police about the situation, as reported by KTRK-TV in Houston.
According to the New York Post, concerned neighbors informed deputies that this was not the first time the children had been left unsupervised at home.
According to court documents, deputies discovered the children alone in an apartment on April 9. The apartment was described as being in a state of complete disarray and emitting a strong smell of urine.
According to reports, the children informed authorities that their mother had embarked on a cruise and was maintaining contact with them through text messages and a camera in the apartment. They expressed uncertainty about when she would return home.
Paramedics and Child Protective Services were summoned to the apartment to assess the well-being and safety of the children, according to officials. A relative has been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the children.
Williams was arrested on April 11, the day after his return from the cruise to Puerto Rico.
Williams is currently being held at the Harris County Jail on a bond worth $25,000, as stated in the jail records. Her court appearance is set for Monday.
HuffPost’s request for comment was not immediately returned by the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office.
Constable Ted Heap expressed on Facebook that the authorities are still gathering information regarding the circumstances surrounding the children being left unattended for several days. However, the most important aspect is that the children are now safe. Heap emphasized that those responsible for leaving the kids in an unsafe situation should be held accountable.