MENTOR, Ohio — A recent incident in the deep freeze has sparked debate over caring for children with disabilities. It comes as a Lake County mother faces criminal charges after her young daughters were found wandering outside a Mentor hotel.
CHILDREN WANDERING IN COLD
Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Mentor Police responded to the Extended Stay America on the city’s east side after a guest reported finding a young girl crying outside in single-digit temperatures.
“Our first concern was to get her warm,” said Mentor Police Lt. Dan Molnar. “Poor girl was half naked. She was only wearing a sweater.”
Investigators learned the 3-year-old was staying with her family in the hotel. They woke the girl’s mother, who then realized her 8-year-old daughter with autism was also missing.
Police found the older girl dressed in a t-shirt in a nearby parking lot. Both children were checked by paramedics and taken to the hospital as a precaution, but were released to their father without injuries.
The mother, 36-year-old Laura Beitler, was charged with two first-degree misdemeanor counts of child endangering.
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“We’re not making any judgment on her being a bad mother or anything like that at all. But in that moment, it fit the ordinance that she failed to provide care for the children and put them in real danger. Being out in those below-zero temperatures, half-naked, those kids were in real danger,” said Lt. Molnar.
WHAT THE MOTHER TELLS US
News 5 talked to Beitler in the days after the incident, who said her family has been staying at a hotel since they were evicted from their apartment two weeks ago.
She said she has five children, ages 8 and under, three of whom are on the autism spectrum. She also told News 5 her 8-year-old daughter with autism wanders regularly.
“The first thing that enters my mind every single time that she’s missing is that, ‘Oh God, I hope that she doesn’t end up dead,’” she said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the tendency to wander, known as eloping, is a common behavior in children with autism. In a 2012 survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents reported that half of the children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder eloped at least once after age 4.
"It’s one of my worst fears for her is that she’s going to end up hurt in some way or someone’s going to take her,” said Beitler.
SISTERS RAISE CONCERNS
Beitler’s older children also spoke to News 5.
Elicia Wisniewski, 19, and Julia Shaw, 17, said they share their mother’s concerns for their sister’s safety, but don’t think she’s doing enough to protect the children.
"This is a very serious situation, and these children are in danger. And there’s no hope for their future if we do not help them,” Shaw said.
Beitler said she gave up custody of her oldest daughters when they were toddlers, while she battled addiction as a teenage mother. She said she’s been clean for 10 years, and custody of Wisniewski was eventually restored.
Wisniewski and Shaw said that despite her recovery, they believe their mother is letting their younger siblings down.
"I do love her, but I’m very disappointed,” said Wisniewski. “I’m very disappointed because she says that she loves them but she hasn’t done much for them.”
PREVIOUS POLICE CONTACT
The sisters pointed us to a dozen police reports filed by Painesville Police in the past two years. The calls for service included several instances of neighbors reporting the oldest child with autism outside with little or no clothing. The younger children were also found wandering on several occasions.
In a report from mid-2024, Beitler told police she was working with Lake County Job and Family Services (JFS) to find solutions to protect her daughter from eloping.
In December of 2024, Painesville Police charged Beitler with child endangering after her 2-year-old son was found wandering barefoot near a city street. The charge was later dropped to disorderly conduct.
Shaw and Wisniewski made several calls requesting welfare checks at the Painesville home, telling police they worried about the cleanliness of the home and the children’s health.
Police inspected the house several times and found no cause for alarm until August 2025. That’s when they called JFS over concerns about the condition of the house.
In December 2025, the same 3-year-old and 8-year-old who were found in Mentor on Thursday were reported wandering barefoot in the cold. The report indicates JFS was also contacted in that instance.
The family was evicted from the Painesville home shortly thereafter.
Wisniewski said she had been staying there until the increasing filth made the house unlivable.
“I had left and that’s when I decided it was time to take a stand,” she said.
BEITLER’S RESPONSE
Beitler said the police reports don’t show her being a bad parent, but rather a mother overwhelmed by circumstances.
She said her own depression and the children’s destructive behavior associated with their disabilities contributed to the eviction. She also said it’s been difficult to navigate the state and county systems to receive help for her children.
“I’m trying to get them the services they need, which is something that I’ve been doing,” she said.
Beitler told us her 8-year-old daughter can defeat locks and other security measures meant to keep her inside, and she often lets the younger children out when eloping. She said the family’s current homelessness is adding stress to the situation.
“Some of those services are on pause because they can’t install things here at the hotel,” she said.
The father of the five youngest children agreed that the family has been struggling to get the help they need.
Guillermo Pena said, “What we keep being told is everything is a process, timing, everything takes time.”
He defended Beitler’s efforts and said he’s frustrated about a rush to judgment.
“Because people are jumping to conclusions, it’s not only messing with their mother. My kids are being affected, too,” said Pena.
OLDER DAUGHTERS DISAGREE
When asked if Wisniewski and Shaw think their mother is overwhelmed and doing her best, they disagreed with that claim.
Wisniewski said, “No. I think that could add to it. That definitely could add to it. But most of it comes from her not being a present parent.”
“It’s not an excuse,” Shaw added. “You need to be there for your children.”
News 5 reached out to Lake County JFS for this story. The agency declined to share information, saying all cases in their system are confidential.
