Indianapolis mom Tenisha Ann Echols was already on probation for a 2019 child neglect case that resulted in her infant daughter’s death, but that didn’t stop her from reportedly abandoning her four remaining children for nearly two weeks. Echols’ reckless behavior came to light when her 8-year-old daughter made a frantic call to her grandmother.
The girl reportedly told the grandmother that Echols tasked her with taking care of her three younger siblings, who were 6 and 2 years old and 4 months old, for the better part of two weeks.
The child’s grandmother arrived at the home and found it in terrible condition.
Food and trash was all over the apartment, and mattresses had no sheets. The child’s grandmother immediately contacted police, reporting her daughter for abandoning her children yet again, according to FOX 59. The 8-year-old told police that she’d tried to reach her mother several times but that she ignored her calls. She also shared that this was not the first time her mom had pulled a disappearing act, leaving her to parent her siblings.
Echols said she doesn’t like dragging her children ‘all out of the house at once.’
When police contacted Echols, she told them she had been gone for 20 minutes to get medicine. She did agree with her daughter, saying she does leave her children often because she “doesn’t feel like dragging them all out of the house at once,” the Indy Star reported.
This pattern of neglect cost Echols her 6-month-old daughter, who died in 2019 from blunt force trauma as a result of neglect, per FOX 59.
Echols pleaded guilty in 2023, the Star reported. Judge Jennifer Harrison sentenced her to two years house arrest and probation even though prosecutors suggested prison time.
The children are staying with their grandmother now.
The Department of Child Services has removed the four children from the home and placed them in the care of their grandmother. Echols’ mother told FOX 59 that she’s not surprised her daughter is back in jail after the slap on the wrist she received in the earlier child neglect case. The woman says she didn’t learn her lesson. Echols’ mother recently interviewed with FOX 59/CBS 4 but later asked that it not be aired.
Echols’ mother has a message for the public.
Although she didn’t want to go on record speaking about her daughter’s case, she did want to share a message. She encouraged everyone to call the police if they suspect a child is being neglected or abused, even if it involves their own family members.
Authorities are holding Echols without bond. She will appear in court on June 20, 2025, for her initial hearing, Fox 59 reported. Prosecutors want her probation to be revoked.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
