A mother is facing charges after her two children were found after wandering from a hotel in Mentor early Thursday morning, according to the City of Mentor.
In a release posted on its website, the city said that at about 12:25 a.m. Mentor Police officers responded to the Extended Stay America hotel at 5650 Emerald Court after a concerned resident reported finding a 3-year-old girl alone in the parking lot. The resident brought the 3-year-old girl inside to safety.
According to the city, the 3-year-old was only wearing a sweater in 8-degree weather with 10 mph winds, and officers immediately placed her in a warm patrol car. Officers discovered the child had been staying at the hotel with her family thanks to assistance from hotel residents.
The city said the officers found the family's room and made contact with the child's mother, who had been asleep and was unaware that her daughter had left the room. During the conversation, the mother discovered that her 8-year-old daughter was also missing.
Additional members of Mentor Police were called to the location and mutual aid was requested from the Lake County drone team, Lake County Sheriff's Office and Mentor-on-the-Lake Police Department. Other hotel residents joined the search.
According to the city, a resident soon found the 8-year-old outside a nearby Hampton Inn at 5675 Emerald Court, wearing only a T-shirt and sneakers. She was also placed inside a police car for warmth.
The city said that due to cold exposure, both girls were taken to a local medical center by the Mentor Fire Department for evaluation. They were released shortly after with no reported injuries.
The mother of the children was taken into custody for child endangering, and the father of the children arrived and took custody. He was away due to a family emergency, the city said.
The city said police are reminding all parents and caregivers to supervise young children closely, secure doors and windows, and never leave children unattended, even briefly, as freezing temperatures can pose a life-threatening risk in a matter of minutes.
Northeast Ohio temperatures have been below freezing for the last seven days.
