A 36-year-old woman has been taken into custody in Ohio after her two young children were discovered wandering outside in the bitter cold just after midnight on Thursday.
The Mentor Police Department reported receiving a call from a concerned resident at an Extended Stay America hotel. The resident had found a young child, clad only in a sweater, outside in the harsh 8-degree weather and brought the child to safety. Upon responding, officers identified the 3-year-old girl as a guest of the hotel along with her family and managed to track down her mother.
When questioned, Laura Beitler told officers she had been asleep and was unaware her toddler had exited the room. It was during this interaction with the police that she discovered her 8-year-old daughter was also unaccounted for.
The search effort intensified with additional officers from various jurisdictions and a drone team being deployed. Hotel guests also pitched in, and eventually, the older girl was located outside a nearby hotel, dressed only in a t-shirt and sneakers.
Both children were then placed in a heated police vehicle and transported by the Mentor Fire Department to TriPoint Medical Center. They were soon discharged after being checked over.
Beitler now faces charges of child endangerment. The children were subsequently placed in the care of their father, who had been away due to a family emergency.
