A 32-year-old Indiana mother was arrested and charged with a slew of charges after allegedly leaving her children to go for drinks. Sandra Henriquez, after hitting a pole on March 12 while driving, denied having any dependants to the police. Police would then find her two children, a newborn and a toddler, inside her home. They were left alone, with the 1-week-old baby covered in feces and urine.
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According to Fox 59, police arrived at the intersection of W Wagner St. and S Koontz Ave after receiving reports of a vehicle striking a pole. Police discovered Henriquez at the scene, reportedly with slurred speech. Then, officers noted a car seat on the vehicle. However, when asked if she had any children, Henriquez did not respond.
Henriquez was transported to a local hospital to receive treatment and was later transported to jail. At about 7:27 a.m., officials asked her once again if she had any children. She denied it by saying she had "no dependents." Approximately 30 minutes later, Henriquez admitted to having children. However, she allegedly refused to provide a home address or a phone number, as per Fox 59.
"Henriquez had multiple opportunities to inform officers and other staff about her children being home alone," an officer wrote, as per The Star Press. "Henriquez was even asked about children, but refused to provide that information."
Children Found
At around 2:30 p.m., Muncie Police Department officers arrived at a residence at around 2:22 p.m. They were answering a different call of two babies crying at the residence. Turns out, the 1-year-old and the newborn baby, only a 1-week-old found inside were actually Henriquez's children.
According to The Star Press, the infant was found inside a bacinet covered in feces and urine. Moreover, the 1-week-old was suffering from malnutrition and was "blue in the hands, feet and around the mouth," described as "urgently cyanotic," as per the affidavit. The toddler was found in good health, as per police. Both of them were transported to a local hospital, and the baby was admitted "with a feeding tube."
At 3 p.m. on March 12, Sandra Henriquez told jail staff at the Criminal Investigation Division that she had left her children alone at around 12:30 a.m. She allegedly said she left to go to a bar. Fox 59 reported that she drank a six-pack of beers before leaving for the bar. In total, the children were left alone for approximately 14 hours, from 12:30 a.m. to 2:31 p.m.
Sandra Henriquez was charged with neglect of dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, neglect of dependant abandonment, two counts for neglect of dependent, and obstruction of justice.
