5-year-old nonverbaI autistic chiId was Ieft aIone with his older sibIing for days without anything to eat or drink, only for their parent, who Ieft them on a regular basis, to give confIicting statements about her whereabouts: police

Alabama – An Alabama woman, 33-year-old Hasanah, was taken into custody last week and charged with two counts of endangering the weIfare of a chiId after Alabama authorities said she left her children, 5-year-old, who is nonverbal and autistic, and his older sibling alone in a hoteI room for two days. Police said each charge carries a $1,000 bond and the case will be heard in the municipal court.

According to Alabama authorities, staff at the local hoteI called officers on Saturday evening to report that two children had been left unattended all day. Officers located the defendant by phone. Police Chief GuIsby said she first claimed she was at the store, later said she was in Tennessee, and at one point mentioned Atlanta. After consulting with the Alabama Department of Human Resources, officers initially left the children in the room based on the belief that their mother would return that night.

HoteI staff called police again on Sunday after the 5-year-old autistic child ended up in the hotel swimming pool without supervision. When officers returned, they determined the children had been left without anything to eat or drink. Officers provided food for them on Saturday and again on Sunday while remaining at the hoteI until the woman returned that afternoon. Police said she arrived at about 4 p.m., and she was taken into custody on the two misdemeanor charges.

Investigators said the family had been staying at the hotel since July 27. Police also said that after interviewing the woman and hoteI staff, they learned this was not the first time the children had been left alone; staff described a pattern in which the boys were alone for hours at a time and, on some occasions, for most of a day since the family moved into the hotel. Officers documented the living arrangement and the timeline of the weekend, including the initial welfare check on Saturday, the consultation with DHR, the Sunday pool incident, and the woman’s eventual return.

Police said the mother gave conflicting accounts of her whereabouts during the period when the children were left alone, which factored into the decision to arrest her when she returned. The department said DHR later released the children into the custody of the defendant’s boyfriend after officers ensured they had food and the room was safe. The children were not removed from the location on Saturday because authorities expected their mother to return that evening, according to police and local news outlets.

Alabama authorities emphasized that the charges stem from the length of time the children were left unattended, the lack of food and drink available to them, and the safety risk demonstrated by the younger child’s unsupervised access to the pool. Police said the investigation relied on statements from hotel staff, observations by responding officers during both welfare checks, and Smith’s own statements during phone calls and upon her return. As of the latest reports, the woman faced two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child, with bonds totaling $2,000, and the matter was referred to municipal court for adjudication.