A situation in Evansville has led to child neglect charges after police say a one-year-old girl was found wandering in the middle of the street.
It happened in the early morning hours of July 5 on Stevens Avenue. A woman passing by discovered the toddler alone. She later told police the little girl’s diaper was soaked and that she was crying out “mommy, mommy.” The woman took the child inside, changed her, and noticed a severe diaper rash and sore, reported WEVV.
When officers arrived, they couldn’t immediately locate the child’s mother, 34-year-old Ashley Ellis. At her home, police instead found Ellis’s 16-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old friend.
According to the police report, the 15-year-old told officers that around 1:30 a.m., Ellis handed them a bottle of vodka and then left the house. The teens admitted to taking three shots each before becoming sick. Not long after, the friend said she heard a baby crying but didn’t even know the toddler was in the house.
By around 4:40 a.m., the friend said she heard the child walk outside yelling “momma.” She estimated the little girl had been out there for about 30 minutes while the two teens were vomiting from the alcohol.
When officers checked on the 16-year-old, they believed she might have been having a seizure and called for an ambulance. Both girls were treated at the scene.
Police say they turned the baby over to the Department of Child Services, which could not locate Ellis for two days. When DCS finally made contact, Ellis allegedly admitted she had planned to return home later that morning before her youngest woke up but panicked after hearing what had happened.
Investigators also say Ellis refused to take a drug screen requested by DCS. During the investigation, she reportedly did not answer or return calls from Evansville police.
The disturbing details of the case have left neighbors stunned, especially the fact that the toddler was discovered alone in the street crying for her mother. Police confirmed Ellis is now facing charges of child neglect and other related offenses.