A 3-year-old boy was found walking alone along a Marietta, Georgia, roadway Monday evening after leaving the home where he was being cared for, according to police. Two women who spotted the child stopped to help and contacted authorities after he was unable to tell them where he lived.
The incident began around 5:45 p.m. near Franklin Gateway and Twin Brooks Drive. The women took the toddler to a nearby gas station and stayed with him while police worked to identify him and locate his family.
Because the child could not provide his name or explain where he came from, officers shared his photograph through social media in an effort to identify him. His family was eventually located, and relatives picked him up at about 7:30 p.m.
Police said the investigation raised concerns about how long it took the child’s caregiver to realize that he had left the home.
Maria Guadalupe Almanza Rivera, 29, has been charged with second-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct. According to warrants reported by local authorities, she did not realize the child was missing for roughly 30 minutes.
The warrants also allege that Rivera did not contact relatives for help until around 7:30 p.m., nearly two hours after the child was first seen outside. Investigators further allege that she sent a message to a family member asking them to tell police she had been in the bathroom when the toddler left.
Rivera was booked into the Cobb County Jail and was being held without bond. Information about her next court appearance was not immediately available. The charges are allegations, and the case remains pending.
The two women who found the child played an important role in getting him to safety. They remained with him until police were able to reunite him with his family.
Officer Chuck McPhilamy praised the women’s response, saying they acted quickly after finding the toddler alone and stayed until authorities located his family.
The case remains under investigation as authorities review the circumstances surrounding the child’s departure from the home and the caregiver’s response.
