Click here for updates on this story
Middletown, CT (WFSB) — A mother in Middletown was arrested after her 1-year-old child was found wandering near a busy street in nothing but a soiled diaper.
Tosha Cooley was charged with two counts of risk of injury.
Police said they were called to the area of Pinewood Terrace around 5:40 p.m. on July 11.
A passerby noticed the 1-year-old boy wandering dangerously close to South Main Street, which was busy with rush hour traffic.
Police said when they arrived, they noticed that the child’s diaper was so full it was leaking urine.
They also said the child was lethargic, fell asleep in an officer’s arms and was slow to respond to paramedics.
The child was taken to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford for evaluation.
Police said when they discovered that Cooley was the child’s mother and informed her that they had the boy in their care, she made no effort to comfort and nurture the child on her own.
They said they also found a second child in Cooley’s dirty home. Cooley revealed to police that the 4-year-old boy has autism and is nonverbal.
Police said that child also had an overly soiled diaper.
The 4-year-old was also taken to Connecticut Children’s for evaluation.
Investigators called the conditions in the home inexcusable, unhealthy and dangerous.
Cooley was taken away in handcuffs, but released on a $5,000 bond.
The Department of Children and Families is looking into the case.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
