Mother Arrested After Young Children Discovered Barely Dressed in 8-Degree Weather Outside Hotel

In Ohio, a 36-year-old mother faces serious allegations after her young daughters, aged 8 and 3, were found outside their hotel room inadequately clothed in the harsh winter cold. The incident has raised concerns about their safety, as the children faced dangerously low temperatures.

Authorities have charged Laura Beitler with child endangerment. She was apprehended on Thursday following the incident, as reported by local law enforcement.

Officers were dispatched to the Extended Stay America hotel on Emerald Court at approximately 12:25 a.m. on Thursday, January 29, following a distress call about a child. The Mentor Police Department detailed in a news release that a concerned citizen had discovered a young girl alone in the hotel parking lot and ensured her safety by bringing her indoors.

Upon their arrival, first responders found the 3-year-old and quickly moved her to a heated patrol car. They observed that the child was wearing just a sweater, despite the bitter 8-degree temperatures combined with winds of 10 mph.

Further inquiries with hotel guests confirmed that the young girl was staying there with her family.

“Officers located the family’s room and made contact with the mother, Laura Beitler,” the release states. “Ms. Beitler had been asleep and was unaware her daughter had left the room. During the conversation, she discovered her 8-year-old daughter was also missing.”

Police requested additional units and assistance from the Lake County drone team as they began searching for the missing child. Several guests at the hotel also aided authorities in their search efforts.

A short while later, authorities were notified that an 8-year-old girl had been located outside of the nearby Hampton Inn, which is just under a quarter-mile walk from the Extended Stay America. “She was wearing only a t-shirt and sneakers” when police found her.

Citing the cold-weather exposure, medics transported both girls to Tripoint Medical Center, where they were examined by doctors and cleared for release.

Police placed Beitler under arrest as the girls’ father arrived at the hotel and took custody of the children. Police said the father had been away due to a family emergency.

Police thanked the hotel residents who assisted with the search, saying their “quick and decisive actions helped ensure a positive outcome in a situation which could have easily turned tragic.”

“It was really a bad situation,” Mentor Police Capt. Mike Majernik told Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC. “Luckily they were transported to the hospital by our fire department and they checked out OK. But [with] these extreme temperatures — it could have been bad.”

Beitler told WKYC that she had been living at the hotel with her five children after losing her home.

“I feel horrible,” an emotional Beitler told the station. “I mean, one of my worst fears is for something to happen to my daughter, someone coming and taking her because she gets outside. And she doesn’t just leave with clothes on either — she will leave with nothing on, because clothing to autistic children is restrictive and sometimes they don’t want to wear it, and she’s one of those children that doesn’t like to wear their clothing.”

Beitler is currently scheduled to make her first court appearance on Monday.