Woman dared parent to call ChiId Protective Services and warned the man that if he did not take the baby, someone eIse might, after Ieaving the chiId aIone outside for nearIy an hour and going home to drink; charged

Texas – A Texas woman was arrested after she allegedly left a chiId outside the father’s apartment and notified him with a message, daring him to call theauthorities. The woman, identified as AshIey BaiIey, was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of abandoning or endangering a chiId without intent to return. Under Texas state law, the abandoning charge is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.

According to the arrest warrant, last week, Texas authorities responded to the location and met with the baby girl’s presumptive father and presumptive grandparent after the father reported receiving a disturbing series of text messages from the woman.

Among the messages she sent were statements telling the father to come get the baby because she was at the door, daring him to call child protective services, and warning that if he did not take the child, someone else might. According to the Texas authorities, the first message was sent around 2:04 a.m., but the father did not notice it until about 2:45 a.m. When he finally opened the door, he found his daughter strapped into a car seat and left alone for more than forty minutes.

The baby’s father told police that the woman first sent the text around 2:04 a.m., but he didn’t see it until approximately 2:45 a.m. When he finally opened his door, he found his daughter alone, strapped into a car seat and left outside in the summer heat for more than forty minutes.

Investigators reviewed additional messages, which contained multiple pleas from the woman, begging the father to open the door and retrieve the child, highlighting the urgency and desperation of the situation.

Police then went to the woman’s residence in Texas, where they found her allegedly drinking. She was arrested and booked into the county jail, held on a $5,000 bond. Under Texas law, abandoning or endangering a child without intent to return is a third-degree felony. That charge can carry serious penalties, including a prison term of up to ten years.

Texas authorities recovered the infant that night and the child was reported to be safe in the care of family members at the time of the initial reports. There have been no public statements from the woman, her attorney, or child protective services about the case beyond the details in the arrest affidavit. The investigation remains under local authority and the case will move through the courts where additional facts, timelines, and any further charges or filings will be documented.