Mom goes to Italy, leaves six kids home alone

Greeley Tribune ^ | 2-12-03 | Mike Peters

[Pat Bateman]

Mom goes to Italy, leaves six kids home alone

Children now in foster care; police waiting for mother to return

Story by Mike Peters

Police want to talk to a Greeley mother who is accused of leaving her six children alone earlier this month while she took a two-week vacation to Italy with her boyfriend.

No charges have been filed, so the woman's name has not been revealed. Greeley police have recommended child-neglect charges to the Weld District Attorney's Office, which will be deciding if the case warrants criminal charges.

According to police spokesman Sgt. John Gates, the woman left for vacation on Feb. 3, and her oldest child, a 15-year-old daughter, was supposed to be in charge of the others. The other children are 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 years old.

Police were called to the home in the 2400 block of 17th Avenue on Feb. 4, the day after the mother left. When officers went to the house, the 15-year-old was not at home, and the siblings said she was at a youth group meeting at their church.

The girl returned home while police were there, and she told officers their mother left $7 in cash and her credit card for them to use to buy food.

Officers said there was ample food in the house.

The mother also left each child a contact sheet, with names of people they could call in case of trouble.

However, most of the names were illegible.

The grandmother of the children lives in Denver and was not able to care for the children.

Their father lives in Thornton and is under a restraining order to meet with the children only on supervised visits.

While police were at the Greeley home, two teenage boys came into the house. They were the 15-year-old's boyfriend and a friend of his, officers said.

None of the children knew where their mom was in Italy, although she told them she would e-mail them daily.

Weld County Social Services was called to the home by police, and the children were placed in two foster homes.

Gates said officers are still waiting for the mother to return.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I agree with all of you that said the mother was extremely irresponsible. She put her selfish interests before her children. I would only leave the children alone overnight (at that age) if it were a life/death emergency.

And yes, if a child became ill and had to be taken for medical care, that would be awful.

But, many children aren't helpless in spite of loony irresponsible parents.

My big concern is for the oldest child. She must be in terrible shape blaming herself for what happened to herself and her siblings.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Hila, I agree with you 100%. You worded it very well.

[HitmanLV]

Speakin of cannolis, I (an FBI by the way) am always up for a game of 'hide the cannoli' with fetching italian lasses! One of my favorite games! ;-)

[theartfuldodger]

Their father lives in Thornton and is under a restraining order to meet with the children only on supervised visits.

Must be because he is a bad parent, unlike her.

Good observation.

[Diddle E. Squat]

LOL

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

What is cannolis?

[A. Pole]

I am sure that the person who made this call was "feeling" pretty good about themselves that they had done the "right" thing.

Such dogooders are in every society, no Hitler or Stalin could do without them.

[luckystarmom]

For 2 weeks. I don't think so.

[HitmanLV]

An italian pastry, cannoli.

[luckystarmom]

What happens if one of the kids is sick? Is the 15 year old supposed to stay home from school to take care of the sick one. What happens if the older children get sick????

[Thinkin' Gal]

Here's the most shocking part of this story:

Their father lives in Thornton and is under a restraining order to meet with the children only on supervised visits.

father... singular!

[MEGoody]

"children at that age can take care of themselves and the younger ones for a couple of weeks"

Consider yourself flamed. For some hours, yes. Overnight, perhaps. Not weeks.

[MEGoody]

"The fact that the children are no removed from their biological mother's care"

Uh, but they weren't IN her care. She was in Italy.

[MEGoody]

"If the "dogooder" really wanted to help, why did they not spend an hour or two in the evening feeding and supervising the children to make sure they were safe and taken care of."

And get sued for some stupid reason. Right.

[renosathug]

Okay...say the mother left them just for overnight. And that same neighbor had called police. Wouldn't it be the same result? I am just asking because I don't know the answer.

I have heard of such strange cases. I think 15 should be old enough to be in charge, but obviously this one shouldn't have been, because she just left the others alone...but would social workers have still taken away the children?

[Publius6961]

Oh, but that might take some effort.

And what planet did you just arrive from?

Sure, that will work; insinuate yourself into a stranger's family because you have an IQ of 12, meant well, and are a terminal busybody-controlling twit!

[MEGoody]

"Okay...say the mother left them just for overnight. And that same neighbor had called police."

I doubt the result would have been the same. However, I would not leave 5 kids in the care of a 15 year old overnight anyway, except in an emergency.

[cpprfld]

I would have a very difficult time trusting a 15 year old to watch my children for two weeks. This an inrresponsible and selfish act by the mother. So yes, the government should step in and take the kids.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

First off, I don't live in the States; therefore, things are a little different here. Having said that, I have a dear friend whose father abandoned the family when she was eight years old. She is the eldest of 3 children. Her mother had to come to the city (8 hours away) to find a job to provide for her children. As an eight year old, she was put in charge of her siblings, cooked for them (her mother would send them a care package of food once a month), kept the house in order, and made sure she and her siblings got off to school every day. Her mother left her with a revolver and ammo with instructions to shoot any man who got near the house (she did use it twice). There was no family with whom to leave the children. This went on for over a year.

This damaged her so much (sarcasm), that she graduated first in her law class and was offered a Fullbright Scholarship which she unfortunately had to turn down.

The point I’m trying to make is that children are very resilient.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I accept being flamed, but please read my post #21.