Parents accused of leaving toddler, 9-month-old alone for hours to go shopping, police say
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN/Gray News) - Police in Nebraska said the parents of a 2-year-old girl who was found wandering outside alone Friday night have been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor child abuse.
Officers responded to the area of 24th and T streets around 7:15 p.m. after receiving a report that a child had been found wandering in a parking lot outside an apartment complex.
Search for parents
Officers spoke with people at the apartment complex and used social media to help find the girl’s parents, who returned home about two hours later.
Lincoln police determined the parents, ages 28 and 32, allegedly left the girl and her 9-month-old brother alone for about three hours. According to police, the children had been sleeping when the parents left to go to church and go shopping.
Children removed from home
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services removed the children from the home.
Both parents were taken to the Lancaster County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor child abuse.
Copyright 2026 KOLN via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.