Unfortunately, reports of parents abusing or neglecting their own children are commonplace in our current culture — but the allegations against one 29-year-old Texas mother have sparked nationwide outrage due to the nature of the charges against her.

According to authorities, Lakesha Woods Williams was arrested Thursday on suspicion of child endangerment after allegedly leaving her two young children at home alone while she went on an extended vacation. She is accused of abandoning her 6- and 8-year-old children in their Houston-area apartment unit for six days, during which police say she flew to Miami and embarked on a cruise trip destined for Puerto Rico.

Mom left her 6- and 8-year-old kids alone at their Memorial home to go on a cruise, records state https://t.co/jNxrbi3SQW

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) April 12, 2024

Alerted to a potential situation at the apartment last week, police officers performed a welfare check and discovered the two children, who indicated that their mother left them alone, according to reports. 

Upon inspecting the residence, authorities said they found the unit trashed and noted a “potent” aroma of urine permeating the apartment. 

In lieu of any adult supervision, investigators said Willilams installed a camera to keep an eye on the children while enjoying her Caribbean cruise. Despite having had no apparent oversight during the period they were left alone, paramedics performed an assessment and concluded that they “were in good health and not malnourished.”

The children were removed from the residence and placed in the temporary custody of a relative, police reports indicate, and Williams was described as uncooperative during the investigation. 

“Deputies tried contacting the Defendant to make the scene, but she was not cooperating and was switching up her story on her whereabouts,” a criminal complaint alleged.

When she was finally apprehended, authorities booked her into jail with bond set at $25,000 and a preliminary court hearing set for Monday. 

Prosecutor Keegan Childers issued a statement condemning the alleged actions of the mother, explaining: “These children were left unattended for many days and put in harm’s way — for them to provide for themselves, feed themselves, take care of themselves, as well as what if somebody breaks in? What if there’s a bad neighbor? Any number of horror, nightmare scenarios that could come up.”