Police: Mother leaves 3-year-old home alone to go on job interview

DULUTH, Ga. — Police arrested a Duluth mother after they said she left her 3-year-old home alone and went to a job interview.

Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh tracked down the next-door neighbor who called police.

Chappelle Williams said the gut-wrenching cries from the child lasted for more than an hour.

"I kept hearing her saying 'Mommy! Mommy!' And, she was screaming," Williams said.

Williams said the calls for help came from the other side of her apartment wall.

"That whole time she was just screaming and saying 'Mommy, help me. I want to take a bath. I'm hungry. I want to eat-eat. Mommy I need help,'" Williams said.

When the crying persisted for close to an hour Tuesday morning, she knew something was wrong.

"And I could clearly hear that there was nobody else talking, because if she was crying somebody would have called her name and said 'What's wrong, baby?' or something," Williams said.

Williams asked her mother to call 911. According to the Duluth police report, when the officer arrived, the child responded, "Who is it?"

Police said management of the complex off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard opened the door.

The officer said the girl immediately began crying, but was able to tell the officer she was 3 years old.

"They could easily injure themselves with scissors, matches, anything like that, fall and get hurt," said Maj. Don Woodruff with the Duluth Police Department.

In the police report, the officer noted the little girl came out "wearing a purple skirt, no shirt, no shoes."

Woodruff said the officer immediately consoled her.

"He did put his jacket around her to I think to comfort her to some degree and warm her up a little bit," Woodruff said.

Investigators tracked down the child's mother.

http://bcove.me/jqcqx2r7

Reshea Alexander, 36, told police she fed and dressed her daughter then left for a job interview. Police said she couldn't find a sitter.

Investigators contacted the state Division of Family and Children Services. They placed the child with a family friend. A case worker is setting up a case and a safety plan.

As a mother of young child herself, Williams said she can't understand why any parent would take such a risk.

"That killed me," she said. "I could not believe somebody would do that."

Alexander bonded out of jail.

Kavanaugh spoke to Alexander very briefly the phone Thursday afternoon. She declined to comment on the charges against her.

WSBTV