A 2-year-old girl wandering alone and barefoot through a wooded patch of San Antonio's South Side ended up at the center of a criminal case, after a property owner's game camera captured her moving through heavy brush in the middle of the night. Bexar County deputies later tracked down the family's home, removed the girl and her three siblings for evaluation, and arrested the child's mother and grandmother in connection with what investigators say happened, according to KENS5.
How deputies say the child was found
According to deputies, the property owner reviewed game-camera footage from early that morning and saw the toddler in a dress with no shoes, walking through the woods at about 3 a.m. The girl's mother reportedly did not call in her disappearance until around 7:20 a.m., which is when deputies were dispatched to the area. Those details were reported by KENS5.
What deputies found at the home
Deputies went to the family’s home and found it in unsafe condition for children — full of trash, dirty clothes, rotting food, rodents, and a strong smell of urine. EMS checked the 2-year-old, and the sheriff’s office and Child Protective Services took all four children into custody and arranged for them to be evaluated at the hospital, as per KENS5.
Charges and alleged interference
Deputies identified the mother as Haley Peoples and said she faces a charge of abandoning or endangering a child, imminent danger of bodily injury. The grandmother was booked on a charge of interfering with an investigation of abuse or neglect. Investigators also allege the grandmother tried to pull three other children out of school after learning about the incident, according to KENS5.
What happens next
Child Protective Services is continuing its child-safety investigation while the criminal cases move through Bexar County courts. Authorities have not released bond information or a court date. For readers looking for state-level guidance on CPS investigations, removals and placements, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services provides public information at Texas DFPS.
