Police in Lubbock, Texas received a call Saturday saying a little girl was wandering around by herself in an apartment complex. According to the police report, the child was dirty and it appeared she had not been bathed in quite some time. She told the officers several times she was hungry.
Her body was covered in little red bumps, believed to be insect bites. And her dress, also extremely dirty, was not fastened properly at the back and she was not wearing shoes. The girl was said to be able to talk but not in complete sentences.
Other residents told police the unit number where the girl and her mother lived. Officers knocked on the door but received no response. They managed to get inside and found the girl’s mother passed out on one of the beds. They had a hard time waking her up.
When she did wake up, officers asked her where her daughter was. She replied she was in the living room watching TV. When asked when the little girl last ate the mother said the girl had some ravioli earlier but she could not say when. She also said she last bathed the girl a couple of days before.
According to the officers, there were piles of dirty and mouldy dishes piled up in the kitchen that did not appear to be functional. Trash was everywhere and cockroaches were visible within the unit.
Shauna Lee Bennett, 42, faces charge of child abandonment and child neglect.
Some of Bennett’s neighbours defended the mom. Keith Graves said Bennett works nights and is exhausted when she gets home. He said he looks after the girl when Bennett is at work although he was not looking after her that day. Bennett was described by another resident of the complex as being upbeat and close to her daughter. He characterized the mother as “struggling.”
Officers found some shoes for the girl that were covered in cobwebs. The girl was turned over to Child Protection Service and while waiting for CPS to arrive, the little girl said several times she was hungry. She also told police “I need a beer.”
Bennett was released from custody Monday on a $15,000 bond.
