A 28-year-old mother in Texas has been arrested for leaving her malnourished eight-year-old son home alone with the abuse discovered after he broke into a neighbour’s house to steal food.
Suspect Crystal Viera, of Harlingen, the US state of Texas, was arrested on 20th June after her eight-year-old son allegedly broke into a home on Petras Road on 8th June to steal food.
The homeowners found the young boy, who has not been named, going through their fridge and eating their food, telling them that he was “hungry”, with police later saying that he appeared to be skinny and was very weak and malnourished.
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, 27th June, saying: “On June 20, 2023, Cameron County Sheriff’s Deputies and Investigators executed an arrest warrant on Crystal Viera in the San Benito area.”
The statement also said: “Upon arrival, the Deputies made contact with the complainants and took their statements.
“As per the complainants, an unknown child went into their residence, opened the refrigerator and started eating their food. As the complainants made contact with the child, he was holding food in his hands and stated he was ‘hungry’.
“In their initial observations, the child was described as skinny, seemed very weak and malnourished.
“In a preliminary investigation, the Deputies discovered that the complainants took the child back to his residence, they attempted to make contact with his mother but she was not home.
“After some time, the mother arrived with her boyfriend. In the initial interview with the Deputies, the mother admitted to leaving the child unattended and home alone.”
The statement also said: “Immediately, the case was reported to Child Protective Services and the child was removed from the home.”
“An investigation was launched by the CCSO Criminal Investigations Division, it was determined the child was malnourished, physically neglected and enough evidence was gathered to secure an arrest warrant […].”
The police said that Viera was charged with abandonment and endangering a child with imminent bodily injury, adding that she was arrested on 20th June and booked into the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing.
