A 2-year-old girl was repeatedly seen walking alone near traffic and outside a trash-filled home, according to police.
SHINNSTON, WV – Two women are facing criminal charges after a 2-year-old girl was found wandering alone through a neighborhood street, with neighbors and police documenting multiple incidents that raised concerns about the child’s safety and living conditions. Authorities say the toddler was able to leave the home unattended on several occasions, including one instance where she was seen near vehicles and at risk of being struck.
Ellie Marie Parson, 18, and Laura Ann Parson, 25, were both arrested Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor child neglect, according to records from the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The charges stem from a series of incidents reported Tuesday evening in the northern West Virginia city of Shinnston.
Neighbor video and repeated incidents
Officers with the Shinnston Police Department were dispatched around 5 p.m. Tuesday to Richard Avenue after receiving a report of a small child wandering alone. A neighbor provided officers with video footage that allegedly showed the toddler leaving the home unsupervised multiple times.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WVNews, one video shows the child walking away from the residence and later returning, while another captures the toddler standing behind a neighbor’s vehicle. The neighbor told police that another child had alerted them to the latest incident, warning that without that intervention, the toddler could have been hit by a car.
The child was described as naked, covered in green marker, and wearing a soiled diaper when she was found outside.
Open doors, unsafe conditions reported
Police said neighbors had previously intervened, returning the child to the home. During one such instance, a neighbor reported finding the gate unlatched, the front door open, and someone asleep on a couch inside. Officers later described the residence as filled with trash, unwashed dishes, and flies.
During another encounter, Ellie Parson allegedly responded to a neighbor bringing the child back by saying, “Just bring her in here and put her on the f—ing floor. It’s every f—ing day,” according to regional reporting by WDTV.
Authorities have not clarified the exact relationship between the two women and the child, but both are listed as parents or guardians and are believed to reside in the same home.
The investigation remains ongoing.
West Virginia child neglect, Shinnston police, toddler wandering street, child endangerment case, WV arrests