7-Year-Old Boy, Cold and Wet, Wandered the Streets after Mother Abandoned Him: Police

MERIDEN, CT — A 7-year-old Meriden boy was left to wander the streets alone in the cold, wet weather early Tuesday morning after his mother abandoned him allegedly to run an errand, according to police.

At approximately 5:40 a.m., a woman brought the 7-year-old boy to the Meriden Police Department after she found the unidentified child wandering around inside the building in the 100 block of West Main Street where she lives.

"The young boy was soaking wet, cold and visibly upset," wrote Meriden Police Sgt. Darrin McKay in a statement. "He stated that he was looking for his mother; however, she was nowhere to be found."

Officers were eventually able to speak with the boy after getting him warmed up and dried off, and soon they were able to identify and locate his mother, Yadira Morales.

She told police "that she had walked out of her apartment while her son was sleeping inside" to go to a nearby 24-hour convenience store to obtain an item.

"Ms. Morales indicated that she had only been gone for 10 minutes; however, based upon the condition of her son and how soaking wet he was officer’s believe that he had been outside significantly longer than 10 minutes," wrote McKay.

He added, "A check of the family history reveals no prior similar incidents in Meriden; however, from all accounts we believe that the family has not been residing in Meriden for very long."

Morales, 34, who lives in the first block of Main Street, not the building in the 100 block, was arrested on charges of risk of injury to a child and second-degree reckless endangerment.

She was being held on a bond of $5,000 and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Meriden Superior Court Tuesday.

Photo: Yadira Morales. Photo credit: Meriden Police Department