ELFRIDA, Ariz. — The parents of an 11-year-old boy were arrested in Arizona this week after sheriff’s deputies alleged he was left alone at home and had not attended school for at least two weeks.
On Dec. 12, sheriff’s officials received a call about a welfare check at a home off of Coral Lane in Elfrida, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media. The caller reported a boy was possibly there alone for an undetermined length of time.
Deputies went to the home and found the boy alone. The boy’s mother had left to go out of state before Thanksgiving, and his father followed shortly after Thanksgiving, according to sheriff’s officials.
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The boy had been alone until deputies arrived. He told deputies that he had frozen food, and he had not been to school for at least the two prior weeks.
Deputies were unable to reach the parents, and the child was turned over to Child Protective Services.
A report was submitted to the Cochise County Attorney’s Office, and both parents were indicted on suspicion of child neglect charges. They were arrested Wednesday when they returned home from an unknown location.
Both were booked into a Cochise County jail on suspicion of three counts of child neglect. They’re being held on $100,000 bond each.
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