A mother from Houston, Texas dropped off her two children at a Houston fire station claiming she couldn’t care for them anymore, ABC 13 reports.
Image Credit: Screen Shot ABC 13
Texas does protect new parents under the Safe Haven Law, in which parents with children up to two months old are allowed to drop them off at a hospital, fire station, or emergency medical services if they are no longer able to care for them, with no questions asked or legal action taken against them.
However, in this case, the woman’s sons were nine months and two years old.
According to KTKR, the woman told the firefighter that she got into a fight with the father of at least one of the children, who claimed to not want the children either.
Child Protective Services (CPS) is now working to find other family members who may be willing to care for the small children.
Image Credit: Screen Shot ABC 13
The Houston Fire Department’s Kenyatta Parker tells ABC 13 that they did what they could to make the kids as comfortable as possible during the traumatic situation.
“It’s a traumatic experience for the kids, most definitely. You take any kid out of a mother’s arms or grasp they’re going to lose it, and that’s exactly what they did. In true firefighter form, we found some teddy bears in fire station and tried to comfort them and make it as easy as possible barring the situation.”
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, when children cannot live safely at home and no other parent, relative, or close family friend is willing and able to care for them, the court can give temporary legal possession to CPS. CPS temporarily places these children in foster care.
Image Credit: Screen Shot ABC 13
After leaving her children at Station 73, police were able to find her, and bring both her and her sons to the police station for questioning.
It is unclear as to if the mother will be charged.
