WATCH: Texas Woman Leaves 2-Year-Old Boy on Stranger’s Doorstep

A woman in Spring, Texas, abandoned a 2-year-old boy on a stranger’s doorstep on the night of October 17. The woman has been identified by police, but her name has not been made public. She was caught on a Ring doorbell surveillance video. You can watch the whole incident here:

The woman, who appears to be in her mid-20s or early 30s, can be seen running up to the doorstep holding the small child by the arm. She’s holding a couple of bags in her other hand. The woman looks frantic as she rings the stranger’s doorstep and then pounds on the door. Then, leaving the child and the bags behind, she runs away. This all happened at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, October 17. It’s dark outside, and you can’t see very much; it’s not clear whether there was someone waiting in the woman’s car, or whether she was traveling alone.

According to The Associated Press, the boy’s father lives next door to the home where the woman left the child. The woman who dropped the boy off is a friend of the boy’s mother, according to police. The mother asked her to drop the child off with his father because she was in the hospital. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lieutenant Scott Spencer told reporters the woman left the boy on the front step Wednesday night without waiting for anyone to open the door.

The boy’s father told police he didn’t know what had happened until a news crew showed him the video from his neighbor’s doorbell camera Thursday morning. The boy was identified by KTRK-TV as Royal Prince Simmons.

The homeowner, a woman, told police that when she opened her door she found a little boy standing on her doorstep, all alone except for a couple of bags. She called 911. Authorities also called Child Protective Services, who reported that the little boy is unharmed and seems to be in good health. CPS is trying to find the child’s family members so that he can be reunited with them. An investigation is ongoing. It is not clear if the woman has been taken into custody or if police are still trying to find her.

“When Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office arrived, they reviewed video surveillance from the residence, and observed a female arrive at the residence in a white passenger car. The suspect in the video was observed running toward the front door of the residence while lifting the child in the air by one arm. Once the suspect arrived at the front door she rang the doorbell, knocked on the door, then fled back to her vehicle leaving the two-year-old child alone. The entire incident was captured on video surveillance and lasted 23 seconds,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies canvassed the area in an attempt to find anyone who knew the child but were unable to locate anyone. At that time child protective services were contacted, and the child was released to their custody.”

The sheriff’s office said, “On the morning of October 18, 2018, the father was leaving his residence when he was approached by our media partners asking if he knew anything about the child. At that time, the father was shown the video and immediately identified the child as his son. Detectives arrived on scene and conducted a preliminary investigation. During their interview detectives learned that the father of the child received a text from the mother of the child advising the child was going to be dropped off in the early afternoon at the residence by a friend of hers. When the child did not show up at the residence the father assumed the mother of the child’s plans had changed and then left the residence for the evening.”

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says the woman could be charged with felony child endangerment. Spring, Texas is about 20 miles from Houston.

“The suspect in the video dropped the child off after the father had left his residence and at the wrong residence. The female in the video then left location without verifying anyone was home or who she was releasing the child too. Detectives are working with child protective services to reunite the child with members of his family,” Spencer said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing once completed the case will be submitted to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for changes.”

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