Woman ditches 2-year-old boy at stranger's front door in Texas
SPRING, Texas -- A woman was caught on camera walking up to stranger's front door in Texas before abandoning a 2-year-old boy and running away.
About 12 hours later, sister station KTRK in Houston helped deputies figure out the boy's identity and locate his father.
Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirm that they found the child's family with the help of media partners. The boy's dad lives next door and confirms the child in the video is 2-year-old Royal Prince Simmons.
Apparently, the boy's mother had asked a friend to drop off the child with the boy's father, but the friend left the boy at the wrong house.
The boy's father told authorities he didn't realize what had happened until Thursday morning, when a news crew showed him footage from the neighbor's video doorbell camera.
Authorities say the unidentified friend could face charges of felony child endangerment.
The situation began when a woman found the toddler left at her door in the 30700 block of Legends Ridge Drive around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday.
The woman called 911 and said that she heard a knock at her door, and when she went to answer it, she found the boy standing there with no adult.
The resident showed deputies surveillance video that showed the woman arriving at the home in a white passenger car. The suspect could be seen running toward the front door of the home while lifting the child in the air by one arm.
Once the woman got to the front door, she rang the doorbell, knocked on the door and then ran back to her vehicle, leaving the child and two bags she was carrying. The entire incident lasted 23 seconds.
The suspect is described by authorities as a black woman who appears to be in her mid-20s to early 30s with long hair reaching below her waist. She has multiple tattoos on her right arm that can be seen in the video.
The child was not hurt and appeared to be in good health. Child Protective Services was called to the scene and took custody of the child until he can be reunited with family.
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