A property owner in South Side discovered a 2-year-old girl wandering alone in the woods around 3 a.m. on Friday, as seen on his game camera footage. This alarming discovery led to a swift response from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, who initiated a search due to the child’s age, the early hour, and the cold weather.
The property owner alerted the authorities around 6 a.m., and less than two hours later, the child’s mother reported that the girl had left their home. The mother, identified as 25-year-old Haley Peoples, was arrested on suspicion of abandoning or endangering a child. The child’s grandmother was also taken into custody for allegedly interfering with a child-abuse investigation.
The child was seen on the footage moving through the brush, wearing only a dress and no shoes. The overnight temperatures were in the 40s, posing a life-threatening danger for a child of that age. Deputies searched the area, checked nearby residences, and alerted hospitals and patrol units.
Upon reaching the family’s residence, deputies found unsafe living conditions, including piles of trash, soiled clothing, rotting food, and rat droppings, along with a strong odor of urine. Emergency medical crews requested a medical evaluation for the 2-year-old after finding her soiled. However, Peoples declined the evaluation at the scene and refused to change the child’s clothes, leading deputies to detain her.
The child’s grandmother, Rebecca Kelly, returned to the residence while investigators were there but left after being asked to wait for a supervisor. It was later discovered that Kelly went to Harmony Elementary School before 9 a.m. and tried to remove the girl’s three siblings from class. School staff reported that Kelly told the children Child Protective Services (CPS) was coming and instructed them not to discuss what had happened, describing it as a “private family matter.”
All four children, each younger than eight, were taken to a hospital for evaluation and then placed under CPS care while the investigation continues. The property is located on the city’s South Side, an area where large lots and wooded tracts border residential streets.
Child Protective Services has opened a parallel case to determine temporary placement for the siblings while criminal charges proceed. Investigators are reviewing the timeline, including when doors were last secured, when adults in the home went to bed, and when the child was first noticed missing. Detectives will also examine whether prior calls for service or CPS referrals exist for the address.