What started as a missing-child call in Spring ended with a mom in handcuffs and investigators walking through what they describe as a house overrun by filth and decay.
Retrice Webb, a Spring mother, was arrested after deputies said her three children were found living among roaches, spoiled food, and decomposing animal carcasses inside their home. She is charged with two counts of child endangerment and one count of abandoning a child and is being held on an $11,000 bond. The children have been moved out of the house and are now staying with other family members. The conditions deputies reported inside the home have triggered a criminal investigation and referrals to child-protection authorities.
Precinct 4 deputies were called to the home on Shadow Valley Drive on Friday after Webb reported one of the children missing, according to KPRC Click2Houston. During the search, deputies said they discovered the other children and an interior so filthy it stopped them cold: spoiled food, animal waste, and decomposing carcasses, possibly from rats or mice, in common areas, and more spoiled food, animal feces, and insects inside the refrigerator, according to court records.
The children are listed as being 6, 12, and 13 years old. Deputies said the 6-year-old had gone on a school field trip earlier that day but was never picked up by Webb.
Charges and legal context
Under Texas law, abandoning or endangering a child falls under Texas Penal Code §22.041, which applies when someone responsible for a child leaves them in circumstances that expose the child to an unreasonable risk of harm. Depending on what investigators ultimately document and how prosecutors charge the case, penalties under that statute can range from a state-jail felony to a second-degree felony.
The statute also includes specific legal presumptions that can ratchet up the seriousness of the offense in certain situations, such as cases involving methamphetamine exposure.
Family background and next steps
Court records reviewed by KPRC Click2Houston state that Webb works part time as a housekeeper and previously abandoned one of the same children in 2017. She received three years of community supervision in that earlier case.
In this latest incident, deputies said Webb told them she put the children down for a nap around 2 p.m. and did not check on them again until about 9 p.m., when she realized the 6-year-old was missing. According to investigators, the child had already been picked up from school by the grandmother after the field trip.
KPRC Click2Houston also reported that the station has contacted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to ask whether the agency is formally involved in the case.
How this fits into a broader pattern
Neglect cases in the Houston area sometimes unfold over months or years and can carry heavy sentences when they land in court. Prosecutors, for example, recently secured a 50-year sentence in a high-profile case in which children were forced to live with the decomposing body of a sibling, according to AP News. Outcomes in such cases typically hinge on what investigators document and how prosecutors choose to file the charges.
For now, Webb remains in custody as the case moves through Harris County courts and prosecutors determine formal filings and court dates. The children remain placed with family members while investigators and child-protection officials assess the home, the reported conditions and any long-term safety plans.
