A caregiver in Georgia was arrested after the toddler she was watching wandered off, and it took 30 minutes for her to notice that he was missing.
Maria Guadalupe Almanza Rivera has been charged with second-degree child cruelty and reckless conduct, according to online jail records.
The investigation into Almanza Rivera, 29, was launched on Monday, September 14, around 5:45 p.m. when the 3-year-old boy was spotted wandering around Franklin Gateway and Twin Brooks Drive in Marietta, Georgia. Officers said that two women saw the boy when they were driving in the area, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
The women picked up the boy and took him to a nearby gas station before they called the police. They reported that the boy was unable to identify himself or say where he came from, so police turned to the public to ask for help and posted his picture on the agency’s Facebook page.
The boy’s family eventually identified him and picked him up around 7:30 p.m.
Almanza Rivera reportedly did not realize that the boy had been missing for about 30 minutes, according to warrants obtained by WXIA. The suspect has since been identified as the boy’s caregiver.
The caregiver reportedly waited approximately two hours after he went missing to alert his family members that she couldn’t find him, according to the warrants. She then asked them to help look for him.
Amid the search for the boy, Almanza Rivera allegedly texted a family member and asked them to tell the police that she was in the bathroom when the boy first went missing.
She was eventually arrested and taken to the Cobb County Jail, where she is currently being held without bond.
It is not currently clear if Almanza Rivera has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Marietta Police Department had no additional updates to share when contacted by Us about updates in the case.
After the young boy was found, Officer Chuck McPhilamy applauded the two women for helping make sure he was safe and contacting police.
“They were fantastic,” McPhilamy told the Marietta Daily Journal. “They stayed the whole time until we were able to locate the family.”
The police department also thanked the public for their help after the boy’s photo was shared online.
“We would like to express our gratitude to everyone that assisted with sharing the information as well as helping look for the family,” Marietta police said in a statement. “This was an amazing example of a community working together.”
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