Woman Jailed After 3-Year-Old Daughter Found Walking Down Middle Of North Austin Street

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A woman charged with child abandonment after her toddler was found wandering down the middle of a street faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to a published report.

Jessica Maria Espinosa, 27, was arrested after her three-year-old daughter was found outside last Thursday, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The woman subsequently was arrested with the second-degree charge of child abandonment, according to a newly released affidavit.

Another woman told police she nearly struck the toddler with her car as the little girl walked along Teasdale Terrace near Dobie Medical School in the northeast part of the city, according to the arrest evidence. Police were then called at about a quarter past 9 p.m.

The woman who nearly ran over the child said she first believed her to be a dog given the darkness of the evening, the newspaper reported. But when she stopped the vehicle and got out of the car, the child put her hands up toward the woman, wanting to be picked up, according to the report. The woman then stayed with the child until police arrived.

According to the affidavit, the little girl was barefoot and partially dressed while wearing a soiled diaper. A large lump was detected in the middle of her forehead.

Espinosa later told police she was resting in her bedroom and let her children, ranging in ages from one to 11 years old, to fend for themselves. In the affidavit, police speculated the woman may have been under the influence of a foreign substance given her inability to give police the names and dates of birth of her children, according the the news report.

The woman was taken to the Travis County Jail for detention on Friday (Feb. 3) and was being held under a $150,000 bail, according to jail records.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Image via Shutterstock