A Missouri woman has been accused of abandoning her 4-year-old daughter at a truck stop in the middle of the night before telling police the child was not hers.
Kayla Marie Christensen was arrested on Friday, October 23, and has been charged with one count of first-degree child abandonment and two counts of first-degree child endangerment.
Prosecutors in Newton County, Missouri, alleged in a criminal complaint that Christensen left her daughter at a Love’s Travel Stop before dawn on Friday, according to Law & Crime.
Officers with the Neosho Police Department received a report that a young child was left alone in the travel stop’s parking lot, and they reported to the scene around 3 a.m.
An investigation was launched into the matter, and police determined that Christensen intentionally left the girl at the truck stop and had no plans to return.
Christensen allegedly left behind her daughter while her two other young children remained in the car with her. Police claimed that she did not have either child properly restrained in car seats, and both children were in close proximity to “suspected drug paraphernalia” that included syringes.
Police said that Christensen “created a substantial risk of injury not only to the children but also to other motorists and members of the public” at the time of the incident.
Authorities later managed to track Christensen down. When they asked about her daughter, she allegedly claimed that her only children were the two boys that were with her.
Police said that Christensen left her daughter “with the purpose of wholly abandoning her under circumstances likely to result in serious physical injury or death, as evidenced by knowingly driving away, failing to return, and later denying that she had a daughter,” per the affidavit.
After Christensen abandoned her daughter, Christensen allegedly went into a casino in Wyandotte, Kansas, and left her two sons inside her car, according to KZRG.
Following her arrest, Christensen appears to have been released as court records indicated she was no longer in custody as of Tuesday, October 27.
Police have not revealed if they believe Christensen had a motive for abandoning her daughter.
It is not currently clear if Christensen has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Neosho Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
