Mother Heads To Court After Children Found Alone In Diapers On Bronx Street

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Bronx mother was in court before a judge Friday, a day after police found her two toddlers wandering the streets alone in their diapers.

Lashanda Devaughn, 41, was to be arraigned on multiple charges of child endangerment at Bronx Criminal Court late Friday night. As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, police said she had a lot of explaining to do to the judge.

Her children, ages 2 and 3, were found near their home on Longfellow Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx around noon Thursday, police said.

Neighbors told CBS2 the toddlers were in diapers and barefoot, apparently running up and down the sidewalk and darting into traffic.

The children were captured on store surveillance video. Also seen in the video were good Samaritans trying to befriend the frantic pair to keep them out of danger.

But that was not easy, as one of the children was running between parked cars and darting into the street.

Neighbor John Suffrand called police.

"(I was) very concerned. That's why I called the cops. We were looking for the mother but couldn't find her," he said. "We told police: 'Come fast. They're very fast. They're very hyper. We didn't know what do with them."

Witnesses said the kids calmed down after neighbors gave them things to eat and drink.

"I gave them Yoo-Hoo, cookies and my friend bring them clothes, pants and shoes and we dressed them until the ambulance came," neighbor Kenneth White said.

Paramedics took the children to Lincoln Medical Center as a precaution. Three hours later, police said Devaughn showed up at the hospital after finding out her children were there.

As the mother was taken into custody, the children were released from the hospital and put in the care of social workers for the state.

Devaughn had nothing to say to reporters when police walked her out of the precinct Thursday night.

Police told CBS2's Ilana Gold the toddlers had been in their apartment before the incident but somehow got out on their own. It wasn't immediately clear if their mother had left them by themselves, or simply didn't notice they were gone.