A Texas mother is being charged after disturbingly left her 2 young children home alone for nearly two months, according to Roman Forest police.
31-year-old Raven Yates is accused of leaving her 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son at home alone with little food for nearly two months.
Yates is said to have left the children in late September. Reportedly, it was not until almost two months later that family members discovered the children were living in the home alone.
In a recent interview, Chief Stephen Carlisle spoke about the conditions of the home:
“No food in the house; everything was empty. There were some dry beans and spices. That was it.”
Upon investigation of the home, officials found that the refrigerator and cabinets were virtually empty. The bedroom belonging to the 3-year-old was said to have exuded a heavy urine smell.
Reports state that the 12-year-old and 3-year-old child had different fathers.
Allegedly, Yates threatened her 12-year-old daughter by telling her that her father would take her away and leave the 3-year-old alone if she told anyone about the living conditions.
“A 12-year-old cannot take care of a 3-year-old for a long period of time, especially over a month and a half. It’s dangerous and irresponsible of a parent. Without medical supplies or ways to get food, that’s very dangerous,” Carlisle concluded.
Afraid of what may happen to her 3-year-old brother, the 12-year-old regularly had her father order food to be sent to the house to feed the two children. The young girl told her father that her mother was working.
The situation lasted for several weeks until family members spotted Yates in Mobile, Alabama, nearly 500 miles away, without her kids.
The 12-year-old’s father, a music producer in California, was contacted and made aware of the situation. He then immediately flew to Texas and notified the police of the incident.
The Roman Forest Police Department and Mobile police are working together to find and arrest the woman.
Yates will be charged with two counts of abandoning or endangering a child without intent to return.
Authorities say Yates also had a 14-year-old daughter who was reported as a runaway. All three children have since been reunited and are staying with family members.