Mother pulled her 12-year-old daughter from school to care for her 1-year-old brother full-time. She left both her kids in a filthy hotel room for an extended period of time. Both children appeared malnourished and filthy. The 1-year-old boy was sleeping in a soiled diaper. Authorities reportedly found broken bottles on the floor, drugs in plain view, slime in the refrigerator and moldy food haphazardly strewn throughout. The 12-year-old girl said that her mom didn’t provide her with adequate food for her baby brother, so she fed the boy with macaroni and cheese.
The 37-year-old mother from Texas, Ashli Lock, was arrested and taken into custody on Thursday. She is now charged with child abandonment, court records say.
Prosecutors said the 37-year-old woman, who reportedly worked as a bartender, left her 1-year-old son and her 12-year-old daughter in a filthy hotel room for an extended period of time.
The responding officers reportedly found broken bottles on the floor, drugs in plain view, slime in the refrigerator and moldy food haphazardly strewn throughout.
Prosecutors said both children appeared malnourished and filthy. The 1-year-old boy was sleeping in a soiled diaper, they said.
During an interview with investigators, the 12-year-old girl said that her mother withdrew her from school so that she could care for her one-year-old brother full-time.
The child also said that her 37-year-old mom didn’t provide her with adequate food for her baby brother. The 12-year-old girl reportedly fed the baby with macaroni and cheese, while residing at the Quality Inn hotel.
According to the court documents, the 12-year-old child told investigators that she hadn’t left the hotel room in about a month. She also told investigators that sometimes her mother would come home from work, and sometimes not.
According to FOX26, the 12-year-old child didn’t have her mother’s phone number and had no meaningful way of contacting her in the event of an emergency.
The girl reportedly showed photographs of injuries that she said came from her mother striking her.
It remains unclear why the 37-year-old mother abandoner her young children. This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.