Mom Charged With Child Abuse For Leaving 2 Babies In Motel

DETROIT, MI — A 24-year-old woman faces second-degree child abuse charges after reportedly leaving her two small children alone in a Detroit hotel room this week. Police have charged Michele Penick for leaving her two babies — a 1-year-old girl and 7-month-old boy — unsupervised inside a room at the Cranbrook House Motel, located near Eight Mile and the Lodge.

Police found the young children in room 119 just after midnight while investigating a shooting at the motel. One of the children was in a crib, the other was on a bed. Both had dirty diapers on, the Detroit Free Press reported. The children were determined to be uninjured and were first placed in custody of Child Protective Services, but a spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department said Wednesday that the they had been placed in the custody of a man, who is the biological father of one of the children.

Penick will be arraigned on the charges Thursday at the 36th District Court.

Photos courtesy Detroit Police Department