Mother Who Allegedly Abandoned 5-Year-Old Near SF Zoo Identified [Updated]

Mother Who Allegedly Abandoned 5-Year-Old Near SF Zoo Identified [Updated]The 2800 block of the Great Highway. | Image: Google Maps
Bay City News
Published on June 07, 2017

A mother who allegedly abandoned her 5-year-old daughter Monday on the Great Highway in San Francisco has surrendered to authorities, police said Tuesday.

According to police, on Monday witnesses saw a woman throwing items out of her vehicle in the 2800 block of the Great Highway near the San Francisco Zoo.

Witnesses reported that a short time later the woman pushed her 5-year-old daughter out of the stationary vehicle, causing the child to land on the concrete. The woman then drove away with her one-year-old son, leaving her daughter unattended, police said.

Paramedics who happened to be in the immediate area treated the abandoned girl, who did not appear to be injured, police said.

According to police, a male with a skateboard was seen leaving the scene on foot at the time that the woman was throwing items from her car. 

Police said it does not appear that he witnessed the child being pushed out of the car.

The male subject has been identified as the father of the one-year-old that was in the vehicle. The woman driving the vehicle was identified as the mother of both children, police said.

Officers searched hotels along the Great Highway for both parents, but were unable to locate them.

On Tuesday evening, the father of the infant was located and police said he is cooperating with investigators. The father also told police where the infant was located.

Police investigators and Child Protective Services representatives later located the infant in Oakland with a baby sitter, police said.

Both the infant and the 5-year-old girl are currently in the care of Child Protective Services. Their mother has surrendered and is in custody, police said.

Update, 3:40pm: The woman in the case has now been identified as 22-year-old Samantha Patton, said police. Patton has been charged with one count of felony and one count of misdemeanor child endangerment. Her booking photo is not being released at this time. 

Alex Kekauoha

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the San Francisco Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a text to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the beginning of the message.