Texas Mom and Grandmother Arrested After 2-Year-Old Was Seen Wandering Barefoot at 3 A.M. in Near-Freezing Weather, Deputies Say
Bexar County, Texas — A 2-year-old girl was found wandering alone in the woods at 3 a.m., wearing only a dress and no shoes, in temperatures hovering in the 40s. According to deputies, her mother and grandmother have now been arrested for putting the child and her siblings in danger and attempting to interfere with a child-safety investigation.
Child Seen on Game Camera Wandering Barefoot in the Dark
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said a property owner called police around 6 a.m. on Friday after reviewing footage from her game camera. The video showed a toddler walking alone through a wooded field in the early morning hours.
The sheriff’s office described the call as “deeply concerning,” noting the child was outside in near-freezing temperatures with no shoes and only a dress.
Deputies immediately launched a search for the child.
Mother Waited Hours Before Calling Authorities
Not long after the search began, the girl’s mother, 21-year-old Haley Peoples, contacted deputies at 7:20 a.m. to report her daughter missing.
She allegedly told investigators the child had “gotten out of the home” earlier that morning and that she found her outside at 4:15 a.m. However, she did not call law enforcement at that time — despite her daughter being lost outdoors alone in the cold.
Authorities said Peoples’ failure to report the incident for several hours intensified concerns about the child’s safety.
Deputies Find “Unsafe Living Conditions” Inside the Home
When deputies arrived at the residence, they reported finding severe neglect indicators, including:
- Trash and rotting food
- Soiled clothing
- Rat droppings
- A strong odor of urine
- The child herself was “found soiled,” according to the sheriff’s office
Deputies say Peoples refused to change the child’s clothing and “declined care,” leading officers to detain her immediately.
A total of four children lived in the home — the 2-year-old and three siblings.
Grandmother Tried to Pull Siblings Out of School and Avoid CPS
While deputies were still investigating, the child’s grandmother, 50-year-old Rebecca Kelly, returned to the scene but left after being told to wait.
Deputies later learned she had driven to an elementary school, where she allegedly tried to check the other three children out of class before 9 a.m.
School staff reported that Kelly told the children:
“CPS was coming, and they shouldn’t talk about what happened. It’s a private family matter.”
Officials called the action an attempt to interfere with a child-safety investigation, placing the other children at further risk and obstructing lawful efforts to assess their wellbeing.
Kelly was taken into custody at the school.
All four children were transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
Charges Filed Against Both Women
Authorities confirmed the following charges:
- Haley Peoples, 21 → Abandoning and endangering a child with imminent danger of bodily injury
- Rebecca Kelly, 50 → Interference with an investigation of abuse or neglect
Both were booked into the Bexar County Jail, though officials later confirmed that neither woman remains in custody.
The sheriff’s office has not yet released the children’s medical conditions but said they remain under protective evaluation.
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