Inset: Hassanah Smith. Background: Comfort Suites hotel in Daphne, Alabama (WALA).
Authorities in Alabama detained a mother suspected of abandoning her two sons, one of whom is a 5-year-old with autism, at a hotel for an entire weekend.
According to jail documents, 33-year-old Hassanah Smith is charged with two counts of child endangerment. The event unfolded at Comfort Suites in Daphne, approximately 13 miles southeast of Mobile. As reported by Daphne Police Chief Brian Gulsby via local Fox station WALA, hotel staff alerted authorities Saturday evening after noticing the children were unsupervised and had been without food all day.
Upon arrival, officers engaged with the older child, a 15-year-old, who managed to reach his mother. Initially, she misled the officers, claiming she was either at a store or in Tennessee.
“Then at some point Atlanta got mentioned,” Gulsby said in an interview with the TV station.
The Department of Human Resources got involved and allowed the boys to remain at the hotel, expecting Smith’s return by Saturday night. However, she did not come back, Gulsby noted. The following morning, the younger child, who is non-verbal, was found in the pool, prompting hotel staff to contact the police once more.
“Officers provided meals for the children on both Saturday and Sunday until the mother finally returned around 4 p.m. Sunday,” Gulsby informed WALA.
Cops reportedly later learned that this was an ongoing issue starting when the family checked into the hotel on July 27.
“The older boy informed the officers and the detective that leaving them alone for extended periods had been a common occurrence since they started residing at the hotel,” the chief remarked.
Smith was arrested and taken to the Daphne Municipal Jail on a $2,000 bond.
