A 21-year-old mother is accused of leaving her 2-year-old son alone without food or drink in a filthy home, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
Stephanie Davis of Cumming is charged with cruelty to children in the second degree and reckless conduct.
After a family member contacted authorities, deputies responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Boxer Lane on Friday morning.
The family member had talked to Davis around 4:40 a.m., when Davis called from the Roswell Police Department jail after being arrested, police said. According to Fulton County jail records, Davis was arrested on charges including DUI and speeding.
Though Davis said someone was watching her son, the family member, who lived more than an hour away, believed the child was home alone and called police.
Deputies could hear the child crying when they arrived at the locked home.
"Because of the extenuating circumstances, one of the deputies pulled the screen off of the window and entered the home," Sheriff Ted Paxton said in the news release. "The deputy then made his way to the room where he heard the child crying. What he found was a child that was trapped in his room by a closed door, equipped with a safety device on the inside doorknob, that prevented the child from opening the door.
"The child was dressed in a dirty white [T-shirt]. He had removed his diaper himself and it was on the floor, filled to overflowing with feces. The child had feces on his hands, feet and legs."
The deputy passed the child to another officer through a window. The child apeared to have bug bites, possibly from fleas, on his legs.
Deputies cleaned the child and gave him food and a beverage, Paxton said.
It is unknown how long the child was alone.
Police describe the home as "filthy. The odor emanating from the inside of the house was a mixture of rotting food, urine and feces." There was dirty dishes, rotting food and trash, and more than 50 bags filled with garbage were on the porch, authorities said.
Two dogs were taken by animal control.
The child was taken into protective custody by the Department of Family and Children's Services.
The mother remains in the Fulton County Jail. Bond was set at $2,500.
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