Inset: Maria Guadalupe Almanza Rivera (Cobb County Jail). Background: The Franklin Gateway and Twin Brooks Drive area in Marietta, Georgia, where a toddler was found walking alone (Google Maps).
A 3-year-old boy wandered from his Georgia home and was walking by himself along Marietta streets before two women brought him to safety, authorities said. His caregiver reportedly did not realize he was gone until about 30 minutes later.
Maria Guadalupe Almanza Rivera, 29, has been charged with second-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct, according to Cobb County Jail records.
The case began at approximately 5:45 p.m. Monday, when two women driving near Franklin Gateway and Twin Brooks Drive noticed the child wandering alone in Marietta, Georgia. Police told the Marietta Daily Journal that the women stopped after seeing him in the area.
They took the boy to a nearby gas station and contacted police. Because he could not provide his name or explain where he lived, officers shared his photograph on the department’s Facebook page in an effort to identify him and locate his family.
The child’s relatives eventually arrived and took him home at about 7:30 p.m.
According to warrants obtained by local NBC affiliate WXIA, Almanza Rivera did not notice the child was missing for roughly 30 minutes. The documents identify her as the boy’s caregiver.
The warrants reportedly state that Almanza Rivera waited until around 7:30 p.m.—nearly two hours after the boy disappeared—to tell relatives she could not locate him and ask them to help search.
Investigators also allege that Almanza Rivera sent a text message asking a family member to tell police she had been in the bathroom when the toddler left the home.
Almanza Rivera was booked into the Cobb County Jail and remains held without bond. Information about her next court appearance was not immediately available.
Officer Chuck McPhilamy praised the two women who found the child, saying they acted quickly to protect him and contacted authorities.
“They were fantastic,” McPhilamy told the Journal. “They stayed the whole time until we were able to locate the family.”
The story, “Toddler wandered out of home and it took caregiver 30 minutes before she realized he was missing: Cops,” was first published by Law & Crime.
