COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A mother in Kennesaw is in jail after her 6-year-old nonverbal child was found wandering the neighborhood injured and bloody.
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The child, who appeared malnourished and was living in unsafe conditions, had been wandering for over 30 minutes before being discovered by a neighbor, police said.
“The juvenile had injuries to his arm and leg, and there was blood coming from his arm,” said Kennesaw Public Information Officer David Buchanan. “We’re not sure if that occurred when he was outside or if it occurred at home, but it definitely was a cause for alarm and for us to find the parents and figure out what was going on.”
The mother, Brittany Anderson, was charged with reckless conduct and cruelty to children. Officers said they had to wake her up, and she did not realize her child was gone.
‘They were both heavily intoxicated from alcohol," Buchanan said. “The father said the mother was supposed to be watching the son, and she was asleep. His grandmother came and has him and he is safe now.”
Police also arrested the father, but he suffered a medical emergency shortly after he was booked in jail.
He was taken to a hospital but later died. The sheriff’s office said he had liver disease.
The medical examiner said they are working to determine the exact cause of death.
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