Inset: Laura Beitler (Mentor PD). Background: The hotel where Beitler’s children were allegedly found wandering outside alone at night (Google Maps).
In Ohio, a 36-year-old mother faces serious accusations after allegedly allowing her young daughters, aged 8 and 3, to roam outside their hotel room inadequately dressed in harsh winter conditions.
Authorities have charged Laura Beitler with child endangerment following her arrest on Thursday.
The incident unfolded when Mentor Police Department officers responded to a 911 call just after midnight on January 29. The call came from a concerned individual at the Extended Stay America hotel on Emerald Court, who reported finding a young girl alone in the parking lot and bringing her inside for safety.
Upon arrival, police quickly found the child, a 3-year-old, and placed her in a heated patrol car. Remarkably, the toddler was only wearing a sweater despite the freezing 8-degree temperatures and 10 mph winds.
Conversations with other hotel guests revealed that the child was part of a family staying at the hotel.
Officers traced the family to their room and spoke with the mother, Laura Beitler. According to the police report, Beitler had been asleep, unaware that her daughter had left. During the interaction, she also realized her 8-year-old daughter was 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.
