CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A two-year-old child was found wandering the streets of Chillicothe, according to police.
The incident happened on Monday shortly before 9 a.m.
Reports say the child was “near traffic alone and wearing only a diaper on Western Avenue.”
The caller told officers that they had seen the child wandering alone when a woman driving a pickup truck picked up the child and took them to a residence on West Water Street.
Officers said they found the vehicle and spoke with the child’s mother at the residence.
The child’s mother said she was using the bathroom and thought the child was playing upstairs. Officers questioned the mother, who stated she believed her front door was locked. She went on to say, according to reports, that she was unaware that the child had left the residence until a nearby neighbor brought the child back home. The mother told officers on the scene that the child was autistic and non-verbal.
The case, officials said, was referred to Ross County Children Services for a follow-up investigation. The mother was cited for endangering children.
Police say this is the second recently reported incident.
On October 31, Ross County Sheriff’s Deputy J. Johanson responded to the residence and “advised that while off duty driving near West Water Street, he observed the child running toward Western Avenue and was close to being struck by traffic.”
The deputy went on to say that he was forced to drive his personal vehicle through a red light and into traffic in order to save the child from being stuck.
Dep. Johanson advised that he grabbed the child and returned him home, where he knocked on the door for several minutes before a family member finally came to the door.