Child abandonment
The mother, charged with child abandonment, cannot be named to protect the identify of the little girl. But Toronto Police Services reported that the father was at work at the time and the mother was supposed to at home with the child.
The little girl was able to show police where she lived. Finding the home and then finding no one there, police were able to obtain the mother’s cell phone number and called her. The mother, the child’s main caregiver, told them that she was on the way home.
When she finally did show up at the home, she told police that she had just gone out to get pizza, leaving her child in essence to fend for herself. It appears she did not think anything was wrong with her actions and police have not said if they believe alcohol or drugs may have been a factor.
Child alone on streets
The girl was heard crying by a neighbor at 1:30 a.m. Monday but that person did not take the child in. Police were alerted, however, and found the girl at Oakwood and Conway Avenues in the area of the St. Clair West Village.
Officers were unable to say how long she’d been outside on her own.
The girl was over half a block from her home when found. The Children’s Aid Society was called in and took custody of the child but it is unclear if the girl has, or will be returned, to the father.
The mother was to be released after a day spent confined and will appear in court at a later date. Note that some reports list the child’s age as four.
