A phone call about a child running in the street led authorities to a 24-year-old womanâs home in Tucson, Arizona, last week. There, police say they discovered two young children, ages 4 and 9 months old, who had been left home alone, reported KGUN 9. Authorities later learned there was a third child, a 2-year old boy, whose remains were discovered inside the home. The mother has been arrested on several charges.
Several substances were found inside the home as well, including narcotics and fentanyl, according to a police press release cited by Tucson.com.
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The case started with a phone call about a child running in the street.
A phone call was made on the afternoon of March 23 about a child running across a street, reported Tucson.com. Officers went to a home on the street and say they discovered the 4-year-old and 9-month-old had been left unattended by Katie Luna Hernandez.
The two children were taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Child Safety. It wasnât until the next day that authorities learned about Hernandez having a third child. A news release stated Hernandez was questioned and police searched her home and found the 2-year-old boyâs remains inside, reported KGUN 9.
The mother is facing several charges.
Hernandez was then arrested. In addition to the toddler's remains, police also say they found narcotics, including fentanyl, in the home. Hernandez is being held at the Pima County Jail on two charges of child abuse, according to Tucson.com. Police said additional charges are pending and would later be handed over to the Pima County Attorneyâs Office.
Fentanyl use has become rampant.
Sadly, Hernandez is one of many to struggle with fentanyl use. The administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anne Milgram, called fentanyl âthe single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered.â
âFentanyl is everywhere. From large metropolitan areas to rural America, no community is safe from this poison. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent fentanyl-related overdose death and poisonings from claiming scores of American lives every day," Milgram said, notes the DEA website.
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Neighbors were not aware of any children in the home.
âI never knew there were any kids at all," a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told KGUN 9.
The woman who saw the 4-year-old running in the street said, "She didnât have no shoes, no socks, no pants and somebody put like a big shirt on her." She added, âMy husband and I were saying like we saved this little girlâs life because for some reason God put her in our path and sheâs safe now wherever sheâs at."
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.
