A Johnson County sheriff's deputy found a 5-year-old child wandering alone into a patch of brush near a creek by the Winterbrook mobile home community on Tuesday afternoon, wearing only a diaper. The child's mother, 29-year-old Amber Allee, was later arrested and preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent after telling investigators she had been asleep the entire time her child was missing.
First responders were called to the creek near Winterbrook, off West County Line Road, around 3:45 p.m., according to fox59.com. Deputies located the child walking into brush near the water and began evaluating and caring for them while officials tried to track down the parents, as reported by WISH-TV.
Officials spent more than an hour knocking on doors and speaking with residents in the mobile home community trying to find the child's parents, per the WISH-TV report. Officers made repeated announcements over patrol vehicle public-address systems and activated their sirens in an effort to reach whoever was responsible for the child. A sergeant eventually returned to a residence where deputies had previously knocked, making contact with Allee at approximately 5:06 p.m. — about one hour and 19 minutes after first responders were initially called to the creek, per the same fox59.com account.
Mother Says She Was Asleep the Whole Time
Allee answered the door after several minutes and told officers she had a young child, according to the station's report. When deputies asked about the child, Allee checked the bedroom and discovered the child was missing. She told investigators she had put the child down for a nap sometime between 3 and 4 p.m. and then fell asleep herself.
Allee said she had not heard the earlier knocking, sirens, or public-address announcements, and that she was only awakened when the sergeant knocked on her door, the fox59.com article notes. Police searching the home found an open bedroom window without a screen, with some of the child's items on the outside of it — a detail also independently reported by wthr.com.
DCS Called In, Child Fitted With Tracking Device
Police identified concerns regarding supervision, the child's care, and the precautions in place to prevent the child from leaving the residence unsupervised, per the WISH-TV account. The Indiana Department of Child Services was called to the scene to assist deputies with the investigation.
White River Township Fire Department personnel fitted the child with a Project Lifesaver device, intended to help locate the child quickly if they go missing again in the future.
Felony Charge, Prosecutor Review Pending
Allee was transported to the Johnson County Jail and preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony. The sheriff's office has sent its investigative findings to the Johnson County Prosecutor's Office for review, and it remains unclear whether formal charges will ultimately be filed against her.
