A Texas mom apparently needed a break and planned to take a relaxing vacation. She made all the arrangements and left her high-rise apartment in Houston on April 4. Neighbors reportedly saw 29-year-old Lakesha Woods Williams leave her home with her luggage, but it appeared she left something behind: The mother's two children were not with her.
Attentive neighbors reportedly called police April 9, hoping for a welfare check. When Harris County sheriff's deputy constables arrived, they found an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl alone in the apartment, per ABC 13. Sadly, the children said their mother had left them alone for a cruise.
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Neighbors were reportedly concerned about the children.
Neighbors contacted police because they had seen Williams leave with luggage and bags but not her children, according to court documents obtained by ABC 13. When she apparently didn't return after several days, they became concerned. Deputy constables with Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap's Office went to the home for a welfare check on April 10, and what authorities found inside was heartbreaking.
The brother and sister were all alone.
When police arrived at the high-rise in the Memorial area of Houston, they reportedly found the young siblings by themselves. ABC 13 reported the home smelled of urine and was riddled with trash. Leftover food was strewn across the apartment, and the children had a sad story to tell the police.
It appears the mother may have had a plan to check on her children.
According to court documents, the children allegedly told police their mother had left them alone to go on a cruise. During the investigation, police allegedly found a web camera and cellphone in the apartment, according to ABC 13. It appeared Williams planned to use the technology to check on her children while she was away.
When the mother got home, authorities were waiting.
Williams was booked on April 11 on charges of abandoning a child with intent to return, according to ABC 13. She reportedly flew from Texas to Miami last week and set sail on her cruise to Puerto Rico. When she arrived back in Texas, she allegedly lied about her identity at first.
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Williams reportedly put her children in a precarious situation.
Keegan Childers, chief prosecutor of the 209th District Court, was alarmed by the mother's apparent disregard for her childrens' health and safety.
"These children were left unattended for many days and put in harm's way," Childers said, according to ABC 13. "For them to provide for themselves, feed themselves, take care of themselves, as well as what if somebody breaks in? What if there's a bad neighbor? Any number of horror, nightmare scenarios that could come up."
Williams' children are in the custody of a family member. Their mother is in jail and scheduled to appear in court on April 15, per jail records.
