'You left us, mom': Mother abandons young kids at residence without telling homeowner before 2-year-old wanders onto street looking for her, police say

A Kentucky parent is successful occupation aft authorities accidental she dropped her 3 young children astatine idiosyncratic else's home, starring the youngest to spell searching for her and astir getting deed by a car.

Crystal Neal, 40, is successful the Madison County Detention Center nether nary bond, jailhouse records show. She has been charged with first-degree criminal maltreatment of a child 12 years aged oregon younger and abandonment of a minor.

She faces 4 counts connected some of those charges, Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT reported.

On Saturday, Neal's 11-year-old kid was playing with a person astatine a location successful Richmond, Kentucky, a midsize metropolis astir 30 miles southeast of Lexington. The parent allegedly dropped her 3 different children — ages 6, 5, and 2 — disconnected determination and said she was "going to get the children McDonald's."

The proprietor of the residence was seemingly confused, calling the Richmond Police Department and telling the bureau that Neal did not inquire for support to driblet her children determination oregon authorities her intentions beforehand.

The kids were reportedly not supervised, and astatine 1 point, the 2-year-old kid ran into the thoroughfare looking for Neal and was astir deed by a car.

Officers responded, and they are said to person tried to telephone Neal six times but didn't person a response. The 11-year-old tried calling aggregate times, too, but to nary avail. Thirty minutes aft constabulary got to the home, Neal returned, per WKYT.

Roughly 3 hours had passed since Neal had dropped her youngest kids off.

Police interviewed Neal and searched her phone, and she allegedly told them that she had been moving to get an amerciable drug. The kids were besides interviewed, and they said they were not definite if their parent would travel back, with 1 of them stating upon seeing her, "you near us, mom."

Neal is expected successful tribunal connected May 20 for a preliminary hearing.