Police Called after Toddler Found Wandering in T-Shirt, Soiled Diaper

Authorities advised state social workers of a child endangerment investigation Tuesday, but did not charge the mother of two because they did not think the toddlers were in immediate danger, according to a report on file at the West Des Moines Police Department.

Authorities were called to an apartment complex in the 4900 block of Woodland Avenue by a resident who said she found a 2-year-old child wandering around outside by herself wearing only a T-shirt and soiled diaper about 8:30 p.m. The woman also has a 1-year-old child who remained inside the apartment.

Two weeks earlier, the reporting party, a neighbor, had returned the child to her mother, telling the woman that she would call police if she found the toddler unsupervised outside again, according to Officer Barry Graham’s report.

Sign up for West Des Moines Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

Graham said that when he arrived at the complex, the girl’s mother looked out the screen door, closed and locked it, apparently unaware that her daughter was sitting outside with the neighbor.

Graham reported that when he knocked at the door about five minutes later and asked about the whereabouts of the woman’s toddler, she said that she was looking for her and was about to start searching for her outside.

The woman reportedly told police that she hadn’t been feeling well and had taken some Nyquil before napping with her two daughters.

After contacting the Polk County attorney, Graham authored a case, but opted against an arrest because he didn’t believe the children were in immediate danger. In the report, he said he advised the mother “how serious the situation was” and that he had advised Iowa Department of Human Services caseworkers of the situation.