A Texas Sheriff says a mother who allegedly left her two toddlers in a car for 15 hours represents “by far the most horrific case of child endangerment that I have seen”.
On Wednesday, 19-year-old Amanda Hawkins took her two daughters—both in a grave condition—to Peterson Regional Medical Center, the New York Times reports.
The mother claimed the children, 2-year-old Addyson Overgard-Eddy and 1-year-old Brynn Hawkins, had come into contact with something poisonous while smelling flowers. Tragically, both girls died in hospital.
Contrary to Hawkins’ version of events, investigators allege the children’s deaths were caused as a result of being intentionally left overnight in their mother’s car.
ABC7NY reports the children were left for more than 15 hours without food, water or toilet trips while their mother was inside her house with a 16-year-old male friend.
“Upon discovering the girls, the mother attempted to bath them and did not immediately want to take the girls to the hospital because she didn’t want to get into trouble,” Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholze said a statement.
“This is by far the most horrific case of child endangerment that I have seen in the 37 years that I have been in law enforcement.”
Hawkins has been charged with two counts of child endangerment. The charges could be upgraded if brought in front of a grand jury.
