Child Calls 911 After Being Left Alone, Following Mother’s Safety Instructions: Authorities Report

In a troubling incident in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a young mother has found herself in legal hot water after allegedly abandoning her three small children at home. Tyliah Andrews, 22, now faces three charges of endangering the welfare of a minor following a police response to her residence on Monday.

According to NEA Report, the situation unfolded when a 911 call was made at 5:23 a.m. by a child reporting that their parents were missing. Before officers from the Jonesboro Police Department could arrive on the scene, the emergency line received another call from a child at the same address, heightening the sense of urgency.

Upon arrival at the residence on N. Caraway Road, officers encountered a locked front door. Despite this barrier, they could hear the unmistakable sounds of cartoons playing on a television and a young child’s voice from within. The situation took a poignant turn when a 1-year-old child peeked through the window blinds, but was unable to unlock the door despite the officers’ gestures.

Determined to ensure the children’s safety, the officers accessed the home through an unlocked back door. Inside, they discovered a heart-wrenching scene: the 1-year-old was perched on a couch, surrounded by popcorn scattered across the floor and furniture. As they searched for an adult, the officers instead found two more children, ages 2 and 5, in a separate room, further underlining the gravity of the situation.

Police eventually entered the home through the unlocked back door. An officer saw the 1-year-old sitting on the couch in the living room eating popcorn that had been spilled on the floor and furniture. While trying to find an adult, officers instead found a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old in another room.

An officer found a phone with contact information for Andrews’ grandmother and placed a call. Andrews’ grandmother provided the officer a phone number for Andrews. When police spoke to Andrews, she told them that her 14-year-old nephew was supposed to be at the home watching the children. Andrews told the officer that she was at another apartment complex about 15 minutes away.

Officers said that while they waited for Andrews to return home, they saw vomit on the kitchen floor as well as “live roaches crawling on the floor and on the walls.” The sink was full of dirty dishes and the heat was turned up to a “high setting.” Police said there was garbage throughout the home. Police contacted the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and a representative arrived to take custody of the three children.

One of the officers spoke to the 5-year-old, who told police that the children had been “home alone all day.” A phone found near the 1-year-old was determined to have been the source of several 911 calls that began at 3 a.m. that day. During a post-Miranda interview with Andrews, she told police that her 5-year-old made the calls because “he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.” She said she taught him “how to call the police if he needs help.”

Andrews told police that she contacted her nephew to come watch her children and he told her he was on his way over, “so she left.” Police said she also told them she left after the nephew arrived. After their initial communication, Andrews claimed that she never heard from her nephew again. An investigator who spoke to the 5-year-old said that Andrews’ nephew was never at the home.

Police determined that Andrews’ nephew “was not involved” with watching Andrews’ children, and his mother said he was at their home all night.

Andrews was charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and criminal impersonation. She remains in custody at the Craighead County Jail, where she is being held on $5,000 bond. Her next court date was scheduled for March 20.

Police said Andrews’ children are now in the custody of her grandmother.