A Texas mother is facing criminal charges after police say she left her 3-year-old child alone in their apartment so she could go out drinking — later telling officers she “needed a night out.”
Justice Lee Moncibaiz is accused of abandoning a child with intent to return, according to court records. The incident unfolded on Sept. 20, when officers with the Abilene Police Department were called to an apartment complex on Hartford Street after neighbors made a disturbing discovery.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by a local ABC affiliate, residents found a 3-year-old child sitting alone at the bottom of a staircase wearing a soiled diaper. Concerned neighbors alerted police, who then worked to determine where the child had come from.
Officers located the apartment the child belonged to and entered through an unlocked door. Inside, they found no adults present. The child was unharmed, but clearly left unattended. Mail inside the apartment identified Moncibaiz as the resident, and police contacted her by phone.
She arrived at the scene about 40 minutes later, according to the complaint. Moncibaiz initially told officers she had left the child with a relative, but she was unable to provide any contact information. Investigators later learned that other family members had never heard of the person she named, while others said that relative had not been around for years.
A few days later, during a follow-up interview with detectives, Moncibaiz allegedly admitted the truth. Police say she confessed to leaving the child alone so she could go to several bars with a friend, explaining that she “needed a night out.”
Authorities did not explain why more than three months passed before Moncibaiz was arrested. She was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Taylor County Jail. Jail records show she posted a $5,000 bond the following day.
It remains unclear when Moncibaiz is scheduled to make her next court appearance.
