Mother Of 5-Year-Old Girl Abandoned Near San Francisco Zoo In Custody
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The mother of a 5-year-old girl who was abandoned Monday night near the San Francisco Zoo is in police custody.
At about 8:30 p.m. on Monday, a car came to a stop and witnesses saw a 5-year-old girl being pushed out and onto the side of the road near the intersection of Great Highway and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco, according to police.
Officers said just before the girl was abandoned, witnesses saw the female driver throwing items out of the vehicle and saw a male on a skateboard leaving the area.
After leaving the girl on the side of the road, the female driver left the area with a 1-year-old child still in the car's backseat.
An ambulance just happened to be driving by and stopped to help the child, who did not appear to be hurt, police said.
Officers said the male on the skateboard has been identified as the father of the 1-year-old baby, but did not appear to have witnessed the 5-year-old being abandoned moments later.
The female driver was identified as the mother of both children, police said.
On Tuesday evening, police made contact with the father of the infant. They said he has been cooperating with investigators and led them to the infant.
SFPD Special Victims Unit investigators and Child Protective Services located the infant with a babysitter in Oakland.
The 5-year-old girl and the infant are now in the care of Child Protective Services, police said.
The mother of the children surrendered herself into the custody of SVU investigators and is being interviewed.
Police have not publicly shared the identity of either parent and have not said whether any arrests have been made in connection with the abandonment of the young girl.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the beginning of the message.
