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Police: Children resorted to eating dog food
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Samantha Abernathy
A 20-year-old Mesa woman was arrested Sunday after police found her two toddler children alone in a filthy apartment eating dog food, according to court documents.
Samantha Abernathy, who was booked into jail on two misdemeanor counts of neglect and two felony counts of endangerment, told police she left her 1-year-old and 3-year-old children alone at 2 a.m. in her apartment at 265 N. Gilbert Road, Mesa.
Neighbors called police at 7:20 a.m. to report that the children were wandering around the apartment complex.
The second-floor apartment, which fronts Gilbert Road, was open and police found the children's room to have urine and feces stains all over the carpet.
The refrigerator had a child-proof lock on it and contained alcohol and very little food.
"The 1-year-old child, upon entering the residence, went right to the pantry and started eating dog food," the court document states.
Police say the fathers of the children arrived at 10 a.m., but they didn't know who was supposed to be watching the children or where Abernathy was.
Abernathy, who works at a Phoenix strip club, arrived at 10:45 a.m. and told police she had gone to north Phoenix to help her boyfriend.
"The defendant claimed she did not even try to check on the children until around (9 a.m.) when she thought one of the children's fathers would be coming by the residence," the court document states.
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