Mother accused of abandoning her children in Houston-area for 7 weeks arrested
Raven Yates
MOBILE, ALABAMA - The mother accused of leaving her two children alone for almost seven weeks in the Houston-area is now in custody, according to the Roman Forest Police Department.
In a release, Chief Stephen Carlisle said Raven Yates was arrested at an apartment complex in Mobile, Alabama on Wednesday afternoon.
When the story was first published by local media, including FOX 26, Yates had been very active making social media posts about the situation, which lead to many tips and leads.
She was apprehended after the US Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force followed a tip to the apartment complex. The apartment manager stated that Yates was staying with a male in the apartment complex.
Authorities said the male friend cooperated with entry into the apartment where Yates was later taken into custody.
As FOX 26 reported, officials said that on Nov. 14, 2022, a concerned father contacted authorities that his 12-year-old daughter had been home alone with her 3-year-old brother since Sept. 28, 2022, much of the time without access to food or medical supplies.
The father, who lived out of state, immediately flew in from California where he had been working at the time.
Police said the father learned that Yates had been seen in Mobile, Alabama, because he had been asked by his daughter to send food regularly.
The children are said to not be registered in school and had been left at home along from September 28 to November 14, almost seven full weeks.
FOX 26's Sherman Desselle contacted Yates prior to her arrest Wednesday through her Instagram page.
She stated, "He's trying to kill me," typed Yates, referring to her children's father and ex-husband.
Among other accusations made against the father, she also said that she "hired a nanny for the children while she was away, and she had to take care of her father who was on life support."
"My daughter even had access (to) thousands of dollars to do and buy whatever!" types the woman. We offered an interview opportunity through zoom at that time, but Yates declined.
The two children are currently safe with a family member in Alabama.
Yates is charged with two counts of abandon endanger child without intent to return.
Yates is currently in custody of the Mobile Police Department awaiting extradition back to Montgomery County.