A 3-year-old boy in Marietta, Georgia, was found wandering the streets alone after his caregiver failed to notice he was missing for half an hour, according to police. The child was eventually rescued by two women who were driving through the area.
Maria Guadalupe Almanza Rivera, 29, has since been charged with second-degree child cruelty and reckless conduct, according to jail records.
Police said the investigation began around 5:45 p.m. Monday, when the toddler was spotted wandering near the intersection of Franklin Gateway and Twin Brooks Drive. Officers told the Marietta Daily Journal that two women driving through the neighborhood noticed the boy alone and stopped to help.
The women picked him up and drove him to a nearby gas station, where they called police. Because the boy was too young to identify himself or explain where he lived, officers shared his photo on the department’s Facebook page in hopes that someone would recognize him. His family arrived to pick him up around 7:30 p.m.
According to warrants obtained by local WXIA, Almanza Rivera — identified only as the boy’s caregiver — did not realize he was gone for a full 30 minutes after he wandered off. The warrants further allege that she waited nearly two hours, until 7:30 p.m., before telling family members she could not find the child and asking for their help searching for him.
Investigators also allege that Almanza Rivera texted a relative asking them to tell police she had been in the bathroom when the boy disappeared — an apparent attempt to cover up how long he had actually been missing.
She was booked into the Cobb County Jail, where she is currently being held without bond. A date for her next court appearance has not yet been released.
Officer Chuck McPhilamy praised the two women whose quick action led police to the child’s family, saying their willingness to stay with the boy made all the difference.
“They were fantastic,” McPhilamy told the Journal. “They stayed the whole time until we were able to locate the family.”
The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to review the timeline of events leading up to the toddler being found alone on a residential street.