A west Houston mother has been arrested on charges she allegedly left her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter home alone so that she could go on a cruise.
Lakesha Woods Williams, 29, is charged with abandoning a child with intent to return. Her bond has been set at $25,000.
Neighbors Spotted Mother Leaving with Luggage, Failing to Return
According to court records obtained by ABC13, neighbors at Williams' luxury high-rise apartment building in the Memorial area sounded the alarm. They said they saw the mother of two children leave with luggage and bags last Thursday, April 4, and she never returned.
On Tuesday, deputy constables with Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap's Office responded to a welfare check at her apartment. They found the brother and sister home alone. The unit smelled of urine, records state, and was in disarray with trash and left-over food strewn about. The children told the deputies their mother left to vacation on a cruise.
Mother Checked on Them Via a Web Camera
Deputies reported finding a web camera and cell phone that the children said their mother used to check in on them. Firefighters determined them to be in good health. Child Protective released them to their aunt, who declined to comment to ABC13 when reached by phone.
Precinct 5 said Williams flew to Miami last week to get on the cruise to Puerto Rico. The office said she returned home Wednesday night and initially lied about her identity.
Last month, an Ohio mother was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her toddler — whom she left alone for more 10 days while she went to Puerto Rico for a vacation.
