Crystal Viera (Cameron County Sheriff’s Office)
A Texas mother faces child abandonment and endangerment charges after her skinny, weak and malnourished 8-year-old son broke into a home and was caught stealing food from a fridge after she allegedly left him home alone.
Crystal Viera was arrested on June 20 after Cameron County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators executed an arrest warrant in the southern Texas town of San Benito, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The arrest came two days after deputies responded to Petras Road to a call about welfare concerns of an 8-year-old.
Once there, the deputies contacted the individuals who reported the boy and took their statements.
Read Related Also: ‘RIP Sweetheart’: Texas Woman’s Body Wrapped in Plastic Found near Houston
“As per the complainants, an unknown child went into their residence, opened the refrigerator and started eating their food,” officials said. “As the complainants made contact with the child, he was holding food in his hands and stated he was ‘hungry.’”
The family who reported the incident took the child back to his residence and tried to contact his mother, but she was not home.
After some time, the mother arrived home with her boyfriend. She allegedly admitted to deputies that she left the boy unattended and home alone. The case was reported to child protective services, and the child was removed from the home, police said.
An investigation found the child was malnourished and physically neglected, according to police. Investigators had enough evidence to secure an arrest warrant for the charge of abandonment/endangerment of a child with imminent bodily injury, officials said.
Viera was booked into the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center as the investigation is ongoing. Her bond was set at $20,000, online jail records show.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
