A 37-year-old woman faces charges after allegedly leaving her 5-year-old son unsupervised near a busy road while trying to steal a vehicle in Reedsville, West Virginia.
Danielle Lee Murray is in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond. She has been charged with child neglect following the June 4 incident on Alexandria Drive.
The vehicle owner called police and reported that a woman got into the car and tried to steal it. The caller described the suspect as unsteady and seeming "a bit off."
West Virginia State Police troopers located Murray about a mile away walking toward a gas station. She initially denied her identity but was identified as the suspect.
Authorities said Murray left the boy, who has autism, outside an apartment complex with heavy traffic and no supervision. A neighbor reported the child was "freaking out looking for" his mother. Another family member later took custody of the boy.