A Texas mother was arrested after she allegedly left her two young kids at home alone for nearly a week while she went on a cruise, officials said.
Lakesha Woods Williams, 29, was hit with two charges of child endangerment last Thursday after officers found her 8-year-old and 6-year-old alone in their high-rise apartment complex in Houston with no adult supervision, according to the Harris Country Constable- Precinct 5.
Willimas left her kids to take her solo vacation on April 4 and returned the night of April 10. She was arrested the following day.
Concerned neighbors called emergency responders after worrying about the siblings’ welfare, according to the constable.
The neighbors saw Williams leaving the building with luggage on April 4 and noticed she failed to come home after several days, according to court records obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Deputies visited the apartment on April 9 and found the two kids alone in the apartment littered with garbage and food all around the floor and a “potent smell of urine,” the documents state.
The place was in “complete disarray,” deputies said.
The children said their mother had left to go on a cruise and was communicating with them through a camera in the apartment and via text messages to the 8-year-old.
The kids were checked 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 had been left at home with no adults.
“We are still putting together the facts and circumstances of how these children were left alone for several days,” Constable Ted Heap said.
“But the important thing is they are safe now and those responsible should be held accountable for leaving these kids in an unsafe situation.”
Williams was booked into Harris County Jail on a $40,000 bond, according to jail records.
She is set to be in court Monday, April 15.
