Police charged a Northside woman with endangering children after she left her 3-year-old in a Walmart store Thursday night and didnt realize the girl was missing until Friday morning, when a relative told her she had seen the child on the news, according to the official complaint filed Friday in Hamilton County court. The little girl, who told authorities her name is Binah, apparently followed several shoppers around the store on Ferguson Road in Westwood after being left there. At one point she followed a man, woman and two boys to the checkout area. Walmart security got involved when the group left the store without her, according to a sworn statement by a social worker. The group told security they didnt know Binah.
Security made a series of announcements over the loudspeaker before calling police around 7 p.m.
Binahs mother, who authorities say has 15 children, is 43-year-old Moriyyah Israel.
Hamilton County Job and Family Services was granted temporary custody of the little girl and her 10 minor siblings Friday.
Their mother was arrested Friday, charged with one count of child endangering.
Several of Israels family members attended her custody hearing Friday. They told the local media that Israels husband, Michael Israel, died in 2008, leaving his wife to care for all the children.
According to court documents Israel was served an eviction notice less than two weeks ago.
Brian Gregg, spokesman for the Department of Job and Family Services, said two children were placed with an adult sibling, and three aunts took three children each.
Police said a Crime Stoppers tip led them to Israel. The county social worker said in her statement that Israel contacted family services Friday morning and claimed she was the mother of the child.
This is not the first time the county has investigated the family, Gregg said; however, none of the previous abuse or neglect complaints were substantiated, so the investigations were closed.
Israel will be arraigned on the first-degree misdemeanor charge of endangering children at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Hamilton County Justice Center.
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