According to law enforcement officials in Texas, a woman from the state was recently arrested for deliberately leaving her 16-month-old child alone while she traveled out-of-town to visit a man she met on a dating app.
Reese Louise Myers, a 25-year-old individual, is facing an accusation of abandoning or endangering a child, as stated by the Killeen Police Department.
The incident occurred during the summer months, and the defendant was recently apprehended near the small city of Barstow in Southern California’s Inland Empire region on a fugitive warrant. It was only this week that she returned to Texas.
According to a spokesperson for the Killeen Police Department, law enforcement officers were summoned to an apartment on West Hallmark Avenue in Killeen, a major city located about 70 miles north of Austin, on the morning of July 28. The purpose of their visit was to ensure the well-being of a child.
According to a statement from the department, officers were alerted to a situation where a child was seen near a broken window while being threatened by an aggressive dog. Upon arriving at the scene, the officers witnessed a child sticking out of a window that had been temporarily fixed with plexiglass sheeting and cardboard, and was not shattered.
Upon entering the apartment, authorities discovered the child unaccompanied, dressed solely in a T-shirt. Disturbingly, the toddler exhibited evidence of feces on their skin, as well as visible indications of diaper rash.
During the search of the apartment, officers discovered that the child was alone, except for two dogs, according to the police department’s account. They then reached out to the child’s mother, who informed them that she had been in San Antonio since the previous day.
San Antonio is located approximately 160 miles south-southwest of Killeen.
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital and subsequently placed under the care of state Child Protective Services.
The police narrative states that officers reached out to the babysitter, who revealed that she had babysat for the suspect in December of last year and had not been in touch with her since. She provided officers with her Facebook messages as evidence, which showed no communication between them after December 2023.
Precautions were clearly taken to ensure the safety of the child. Most doors were closed off, and a baby gate was used to block off the kitchen area. The deadbolt on the door was locked, and every other window was securely locked and shut. However, it seems that one window was not properly closed, which is where the boy was seen hanging out of.
According to the police department, the officers instructed the mother to go back to Killeen.
Myers allegedly did not comply with the request, leading to his arrest on November 5 by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
The defendant was apprehended at a location within the vast Fort Irwin Army Base, which is approximately 1,365 miles away from Killeen, according to arrest records in the Golden State.
On Tuesday, Myers was released from custody in California and promptly arrested by the Killeen Police Department.