An Indiana mom is facing multiple charges after abandoning her kids. Ashley Ellis was arrested after her toddler was found wandering their Evansville neighborhood in the middle of the night. Quickly, it was discovered that the little one had been left in the care of Ellis’ teenage daughter. The mom had given the teen and her friend alcohol before putting the toddler in their care, and then she simply disappeared.
The toddler was discovered by a neighbor around 5 a.m. July 5, 2025, WEVV reported. They became concerned after they heard dogs barking and heard the 1-year-old calling “mommy, mommy.” While they waited, the neighbor brought the little one into her home. She changed the baby’s urine-soaked diaper, noticing a bad case of diaper rash and a sore.
Police went to Ellis’ home, only to discover she wasn’t there. Instead, they found her 16-year-old daughter and the daughter’s 15-year-old friend. An ambulance was called when the older teen girl began having a seizure, the news outlet reported.
According to officers, the 15-year-old told them that around 1:30 a.m., Ellis gave them a bottle of vodka and then left, WFIE reported. The teens each took three shots.
The friend said she didn’t realize the toddler was still in the home until about an hour after Ellis left when she heard the girl crying. She believes the little one got out of the house around 4:40 a.m. because both girls were throwing up. Although she’s not sure, she suspected the little one was outside for about a half hour.
The Department of Child Services was unable to locate Ellis for two days. When workers were finally able to get in touch with her, the mom said she had planned to return before the baby had even woken up, WEVV reported. She said when she found out what happened, she was too scared to go home. She claimed she never gave the teens alcohol but said vodka had been in the freezer and they had asked if they could drink it.
Evansville police said Ellis didn’t return any of their calls during their investigation. She was finally arrested on September 25. Ellis has been charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Law & Crime reported.
