Mother accused of leaving her 3- and 5-year-old kids at home without food for hours to go gambling

Mary Ann DeLeon faces a child abandonment charge after allegedly locking the two children inside the home for over 10 hours.

Daniela Hurtado Image
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Kids shut in house for 10 hours as mom gambled, drank, records state
A Houston woman faces a child abandonment charge after allegedly leaving her kids home without food for over 10 hours on Memorial Day to go gambling.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston mother is accused of leaving her 3- and 5-year-old kids at home for several hours without food to go gambling on Memorial Day.

Mary Ann DeLeon, 38, is facing a child abandonment charge after records state she locked her two young children at home before 2 a.m. on Monday so she could go gambling and drinking.

Court documents state the children, ages 3 and 5, were unable to open the home's exterior door and were left without food for more than 10 hours.

During DeLeon's court appearance on Tuesday, a judge said the two children were reportedly spotted crying in a window by a neighbor, who called the police.

Officers responded to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. and kept the children in patrol cars for about two hours until a family friend arrived.

The friend then called DeLeon, who said she was out drinking and gambling and believed the children's father was watching them, but he claimed to be at work.

DeLeon was arrested the same day, and her bond was set at $1,000 on Tuesday.

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