Mom Abandons 5-Year-Old Daughter At Zoo. Then Witnesses See Who She Has In The Backseat

Police arrested a San Francisco, California, mother after she abandoned her 5-year-old daughter at a zoo on June 5.

On the night in question, witnesses said they saw a car stop on the side of the road before a girl was pushed out of it, KPIX reports. A female driver was reportedly seen throwing items out of the car, while witnesses saw a male leaving the scene on a skateboard.

The woman reportedly drove off with another child still in the car, as she left the 5-year-old on the side of the road. An ambulance that was coincidentally nearby stopped to help the child.

Officers said the male on the skateboard was later identified as the father of the 1-year-old baby in the car. He reportedly did not witness the 5-year-old being abandoned moments earlier.

The female driver was discovered to be the mother of both children. Authorities later made contact with the father of the abandoned girl, and he was reportedly cooperative with investigators. 

The girl and the infant were subsequently placed in the care of Child Protective Services, and the mother ultimately surrendered.

KPIX shared the story on its Facebook page, and some readers urged authorities to keep the children away from their mother.

“Very sad,” one person commented. “Hoping this child will be placed in a loving, responsible home setting.”

“…Poor girl glad she was found I hope she’s placed in a safe clean home … The girl will remember this forever,” another added.

In a similar incident, police arrested a Lonoke County, Arkansas, mother on June 7 after a 1-year-old child was found walking with a dog on a highway.

The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a small child walking a dog along a highway, and authorities reportedly found the baby walking in the parking lot of a local Baptist Church with a small dog. 

A deputy found a phone number on the dog’s collar and was able to trace the owner to a nearby home. Police visited the home and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. They entered it forcibly and found 24-year-old Lindsey Moody asleep in a bedroom. Moody, the baby’s mother, was found with a smoking device that authorities believed was filled with methamphetamine. 

The mother was taken into custody and charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The baby was placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services. 

Sources: KPIX, KATV, KPIX/Facebook / Photo credit: Cburnett/Wikimedia Commons