Police are searching for a Texas mother who allegedly left her children at home alone in September and has not returned. Raven Yates, 31, reportedly abandoned her 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son on September 28, but that was not discovered until November 14. Yates allegedly left the children in the home with little food or medical supplies. They also were not enrolled in school.
Roman Forest Police reported in a statement Thursday that they are searching for Yates, who faces two counts of abandoning and endangering a child with no intent to return. According to police, the 12-year-old's father was working in California, and did not know the children were alone until Yates was spotted in Mobile, Alabama, without them. The Roman Forest and Mobile police departments are working together to try to locate Yates.
Yates was spotted hundreds of miles away without her children.
According to Roman Forest police, the father's former mother-in-law contacted him and told him she spotted her daughter in Mobile, Alabama, but the children were not with her. The father immediately returned to Texas from California and discovered a sad scene.
The children had no food on the shelves or in the refrigerator, but they appeared healthy. Although he does not live in the home, the father reportedly pays the rent, Roman Forest Police Chief Stephen Carlisle told ABC News.
The kids are now in Alabama.
The father has taken the children to Alabama to stay with their grandmother. According to ABC News, police discovered that Yates had a third child, 14, who reportedly ran away just weeks before the mother allegedly abandoned her other two children. The child was able to get to Mobile and is also living safely with the grandmother.
Police believe Yates is still in Alabama.
According to police, Yates appears to be in the Mobile area and is regularly posting on her social media. On Friday, an apparent home surveillance video was posted to her Facebook account with the caption, "Abusive Dad in Action. — He's pressing charges on me but he's the insane one. Controlling lying b—-rd!"
The video shows a child running out of the door and a man following her. The video has no sound, so it is unclear what is happening.
People are condemning the mother in the comments.
Yates' Facebook profile has several public posts that are open to comments. Thousands commented on her most recent video, and most are people condemning her behavior.
"You left your 12 year old and 3 year old for 2 months alone. You are the problem. I hope these kids get to stay with family who can give them the love and care they deserve.," someone wrote. "It's absolutely disgusting you are on here making comments like this video when you literally abandoned your kids for over 2 months. Smh. I feel sorry only for those children. They deserved better."
"You continue to DEFLECT and harp on the type of partner your ex was towards you as if somehow that justifies your behavior and being MIA from your minor children for two months!!: another person commented. "It's time to buck up and lay in the bed you made!"
"Bruh instead off just calling out your deadbeat husband, maybe take care of you kids? I know how it was to be neglected and you pose here while your kids had the worst months of their lives," another comment reads. "I [hope] they get better and will have a better future with different parents instead of a dad and mom who neglected such beautiful kids. Shame on you!"
Yates' family fiercely defends her.
Although her exact whereabouts are still unknown, Bo Yates, who claims to be Raven Yates' brother, said she is not an unfit mother. He claimed that she is mentally ill, and the court of public opinion needs to stop judging her.
"YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A PERSON GOING THROUGH BUT MY SISTER RAVEN YATES IMA STAND BEHIND HER PERIOD SOCIAL MEDIA SO QUICK TO JUDGE BUT DONT EVEN KNOW HALF OF THE STORY IF ANYBODY KNOW MY SISTER SHES VERY SMART AND INTELLIGENT WHEN YOU HAVE A MENTAL ISSUE AS AN ADULT AND YOU IN DENIAL ABOUT ITS HARD TO HELP A PERSON," he wrote on Facebook.
Police issued a warrant for Yates' arrest on December 4 but have been unable to locate her.
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.
