A mom in Texas allegedly left her toddler home alone while she traveled to another city to meet a guy she met on Hinge. Reese Louise Myers reportedly took off from her home in Killeen on July 28, 2024, and left a 16-month-old home alone while she went to San Antonio for a date. Police responded to a request for a welfare check and reportedly found the toddler in a precarious situation needing help.
According to an affidavit obtained by KWTX, police arrived at an apartment complex in the 600 block of West Hallmark about 9:30 a.m., after neighbors reported the toddler appeared to be home alone. They pulled up to a heartbreaking scene, but thankfully, they saved the child from harm.
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Callers said the child appeared stuck in a broken window.
Officers arrived and found the 16-month-old hanging out of a broken window in a first-floor apartment, per KWTX. An aggressive dog tried to attack the child and reportedly went after any adults trying to save him. Police removed cardboard and plexiglass to gain access to the apartment.
Police found no adults inside the apartment.
Once inside, police found the child alone with two aggressive dogs that appeared to want to protect him. The toddler wore only a shirt and had visible feces and signs of diaper rash. According to the affidavit, it seemed someone took precautions to leave a child alone, including closing doors, blocking off the kitchen area, and using deadbolts on doors and windows.
Police tracked down Myers in San Antonio.
Authorities contacted Myers, who allegedly admitted she traveled to San Antonio for her Hinge date. She told police she arranged a babysitter through Facebook. When police contacted the babysitter, she apparently told them she babysat for Myers in December 2023 but not since then. Facebook messages revealed no contact between Myers and the woman after that time.
It took months to arrest Myers.
According to Law & Crime, police took the toddler to an area hospital and placed him in the custody of Child Protective Services. Myers allegedly never returned to Killeen for her son, and police finally arrested her at the Fort Irwin Army Base in California, 1,365 miles from Killeen. She left California for Texas on November 19, and police arrested her the same day. She faces a charge of abandonment and child endangerment.
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The story has shocked many people.
SayCheese Bell County Mugshots & Arrests posted Myers’s picture on its Facebook page, and the comment section got angry.
“She traveled like 1500 miles away to meet a guy she met on a dating app and the child was seen hanging out a window that had cardboard over it. She had been going since the previous day,” one person wrote. “She needs to lose custody of this child. I’m so glad he was uninjured.”
Someone else wasn’t surprised by the situation. “That’s what happens when a child has or is left in charge with a child,” the person wrote.
But another commenter quickly clapped back and explained Myers is 25.
“Is that how old she is?? I was giving her the benefit of the doubt, that’s even worse!!!!!” the previous commenter exclaimed.
Another person chimed in, writing, “I don’t care how old she is. She’s an idiot.”
