Richmond Mom Turns Herself In On Child Abandonment Charges

SAN PABLO (KCBS) - A mother who left her 18-month-old boy alone outside an apartment complex was arrested on felony child abandonment and child endangerment charges, San Pablo police said Thursday.

The woman called to turn herself in after seeing media reports quoting witnesses who said they saw her get out of a taxi, then leave the child behind in the yard of a townhouse when she hopped back in the cab the night before, said Sgt. Dave Lewelyn.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

"I think she did feel a little remorse," Lewelyn said.

Authorities identified her as 40-year-old Saundra Samuel of Richmond. Lewelyn said she admitted to abandoning the child because she felt unfit to care for the boy, whose name has not been released.

The resident who saw what happened immediately went to go get the child and then called police. The boy was in good health when he was placed in protective custody, Lewelyn said.

California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows a mother who believes she cannot care for a child to turn the child over to any hospital or designated firehouse within 72 hours of the baby's birth.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)