COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities charged a woman with endangering children after police said she abandoned her toddler son Thursday at a convenience store in Columbus.
A witness told police that a woman walked into the Circle K at 3749 Twin Creeks Drive before 8:25 a.m. with a 1-year-old boy. After a few minutes of walking around the store, she abruptly left without her son, according to officials.
The child and the witness both ran to the door, yelling for the woman to return, police said. Customers at gas pumps outside the store also yelled and honked their horns to try to get the woman’s attention, according to authorities.
“She just kept walking away,” police said in a news release.
Authorities took the child to a hospital, where it was determined that he was unharmed and in good health. He was turned over to the care of Franklin County Children Services.
Just before 7:30 p.m., officers found the mother of the child, identified as Fatuma Mohamed Nuriye, 20. She has since been charged with first-degree endangering children, a misdemeanor.
Officials with Franklin County Children Services told WBNS-TV on Friday that they were working with the child’s family to make sure he is safe. The group thanked the community for its help identifying the child, the news station reported.
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