On Thursday morning, the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Office said they received back-to-back calls for similar incidents.
First, deputies said someone called to report a small child walking around the Cypress Falls area alone. Law enforcement said shortly after they picked up the child, their mother, 32-year-old Natalie Carmona, returned home, and admitted to leaving the two-year-old alone while she dropped off other kids at school.
Court records show she was arrested and charged with abandoning a child. She has since bonded out, but didn't answer the door when we tried to contact her.
About half an hour away on Shelby View Lane on Thursday morning, deputies said someone else called about another child wandering around the area on their own.
The mother, 39-year-old Maricela Valdez, also admitted to leaving her 3-year-old child alone while dropping off other kids at school, according to investigators.
She appeared before a magistrate, also charged with abandoning a child.
"It is alleged that the witness found the complainant, 3 years old, walking in a public roadway, and officers found the home empty with the front door open," the magistrate said.
A man answered when ABC13 knocked on Valdez's door. He told Eyewitness News that Valdez was not home.
Carmona did have a higher bond because she was previously charged with injuring a child, but that case was dismissed.
The Department of Family and Protective Services has confirmed they're investigating both incidents.