Cobb parents accused of abandoning child in SC

MARIETTA, Ga. — Police say a little girl abandoned this week on a doorstep in South Carolina is a 4-year-old from Marietta.
Both of her parents are now in jail.

Channel 2's Ashley Swann spoke with residents of the family's Cobb Parkway apartment complex who were shocked by these new developments.

"I've actually got a 2-year-old myself, so that's my heart," Billy Price told Swann. "I couldn't imagine."

Police say 37-year-old Tongela McBride and 31-year-old Alonzo Brown lived in the complex with their 4-year-old daughter Zoe Brown. The girl was first identified as little "Jane Doe" after she was found Tuesday night abandoned in her stroller on the doorstep of an Anderson, S.C., home. Police say someone rang the doorbell and ran.

"Wow. That's insane," said Price. "That's terrible. That's terrible."

Police say a tip led them to the child's parents. McBride is now in the Cobb County jail and Brown is in custody in South Carolina. Both are charged with unlawful neglect of a child.

"If you don't want to be a parent and you've just come to that conclusion, maybe you should just go to your local adoption agency and just do the right thing," Price said. "Not just drop your kid off in a different state. That's crazy. I can't imagine that."

Zoe remains in foster care in South Carolina. Her Marietta neighbors say they hope she'll be OK.

"If somebody else...a better parental environment can step in and take care of the little girl, it would at least give her a better shot for her future," said Price.

Both parents were denied bond. Police say McBride will be extradited to South Carolina in the coming days. Investigators are not elaborating on any potential motives at this time.

WSBTV