Two parents have been charged with allegedly abandoning their children, sometimes leaving them alone for several days, according to court documents.
Danny Carl Neal, 42, and Chantel Nicole Caldwell, 39, are facing child abandonment charges. On Monday, Nov. 4, authorities responded to a report involving the couple’s five children, ages 3, 5, 6, 7, and 12, who had reportedly been left unattended in a Houston hotel room.
Court records reveal that on Halloween, an older sibling picked up the children from the hotel for trick-or-treating. After being unable to reach the parents that evening, the sibling stayed overnight to care for them. The following day, the sibling called the hotel and learned that the parents had checked out the previous day.
A relative reported that she and the older sibling had been looking after the children, as there had been no contact from the parents. Further investigation revealed that none of the children are enrolled in school.
One child told authorities they had been left alone for three consecutive days the week before Halloween and said, “we did not have anything to eat and have a toddler who cannot fend for himself.” The children also reported being left unsupervised on multiple occasions, sometimes not seeing their parents for up to three days.
Officials confirmed that the children are now safe.
