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Background: News footage of the apartment in Mableton, Ga., where neighbors found Hailey Saunders” son (WSB). Inset: Hailey Saunders (Cobb County Sheriff’s Office).
Hailey Saunders, aged 23, has been charged with cruelty to a child and reckless conduct and remains in custody at Cobb County Jail. An arrest warrant obtained by WSB, a local ABC affiliate, reveals that neighbors contacted the police after encountering the child outside, visibly upset and calling for assistance. The child reportedly informed the adults who came to his rescue that upon waking, he realized his mother and younger brother were missing from their home.
Speaking anonymously to WSB, several neighbors recounted the alarming experience, sharing that they heard the boy’s screams late Sunday night, just before midnight. Out of concern for their safety, they chose to remain unidentified. One neighbor described the boy’s cries as so intense that it felt as though her “heart was about to pop out.” She, along with other residents, rushed outside to offer the boy comfort and support.
Some of those neighbors spoke to WSB and said they heard the boy screaming outside before midnight on Sunday.
WSB reported that none of the neighbors wanted to be identified for fear of retaliation. One neighbor told the station that the boy was yelling so loudly that her “heart was about to pop out.” She ran outside to find the boy and another neighbor had already reached him. A third neighbor also ran out to help him.
The first neighbor who spoke to WSB said the boy told her, “He just woke up and his mommy was gone. He was by himself and he was crying.” She called 911 and first responders arrived about 40 minutes later. The neighbors fed the boy water and chips.
Police said in the warrant that the boy’s father eventually showed up, and around 2 a.m., Saunders arrived. She was arrested and booked into the Cobb County Jail, where she is being held without bond. Her next court date was not available.
WSB reported that the boy’s father took custody of his son.