A 29-year-old Missouri mother faces multiple charges after police say she left her three young children alone in an apartment for more than a day.
Courtney Lynn Box was arrested Saturday in Springfield on three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of abuse or neglect of a child. Authorities responded to a wellness check on January 10 after a neighbor reported hearing banging sounds for hours.
Officers found the twins, around one year old, and a three-month-old infant inside the residence. The children were in soiled diapers, showed signs of hunger and had extensive diaper rash. One child had a head injury from banging against a wall.
Box told investigators she had been out shopping for her birthday and left the children with another person. Phone records indicated she used her device throughout the period and searched for information on child endangerment after the children were taken into custody.
Box is scheduled to appear in court on July 29. She was placed under a $10,000 bond following her arrest.