BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — A 25-year-old mother was arrested after a property owner found footage of a toddler wandering alone in the woods that was captured on her game camera.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), early Friday morning deputies were called by a property owner after her game camera captured footage of a young child wandering alone in the woods around 3 a.m. on the South Side.
The child was seen only wearing a dress and no shoes at the time with temperatures well into the 40s. Deputies were called around 6 a.m. after the homeowner saw the footage and immediately began searching for the unknown child.
At 7:20 a.m., a woman identified by BCSO as Haley Peoples reported her two-year-old daughter had “gotten out of the home” earlier that morning. Peoples claimed she found the child outside at 4:15 a.m. but did not contact law enforcement for several hours while deputies were actively searching.
When deputies arrived at her home, they found unsafe living conditions — including trash, soiled clothing, rotting food, rat droppings, and a heavy odor of urine.
The child was also found “soiled,” prompting EMS to request a medical evaluation, which Peoples declined. She also reportedly refused to change the child’s clothing. Due to unsafe conditions and severe risk posed to the child, Peoples was detained.
Deputies learned the child’s grandmother, identified as Rebecca Kelly, had attempted to remove the child’s three other siblings from their elementary school class before 9:00 a.m.
School staff told deputies Kelly claimed Child Protective Services (CPS) was arriving and told the children not to discuss the early morning incident, calling it a “private family matter.”
Kelly was detained at the school due to her alleged attempt to interfere with a child-safety investigation. All four children — all under the age of eight — were transported to the hospital for evaluation.
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Haley Peoples was arrested for Abandoning/Endangering a Child – Imminent Danger of Bodily Injury, and Rebecca Kelly was arrested for Interference with Investigation of Abuse/Neglect. Both were booked into the Bexar County Jail.