The parents of an 11-year-old boy have been arrested after leaving him home alone over the holiday season while they went on vacation.
Melissa Green, 34, and Bobby Jo Green, 40, were arrested on Wednesday, December 29, according to a report from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
The alarm was raised on December 12 when the sheriff’s office in Elfrida, Arizona, USA, received a call from a concerned neighbour.
Deputies visited an address on Coral Lane in Elfrida, where they saw an 11-year-old boy who told them that he had been left with a supply of frozen food while his parent had gone away for Thanksgiving, which was on November 24.
The boy also told them that he hadn’t been to school in over a fortnight, reports Arizona Central.
“Deputies responded and made contact with the 11 year old who was home alone, and further investigation indicated that the mother had left the residence to go out of state before Thanksgiving and the father had followed shortly after Thanksgiving,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
“The child was left alone during the entire time until contact with Sheriff Deputies was made. The child indicated that there was frozen food available to him and he had not attended school during at least the prior two weeks.”
Officers were unable to trace the boy’s parents and the child was turned over to Child Protective Services.
Mr and Mrs Green were arrested on Wednesday when they returned home from an unknown location.
They were both charged on a count each of child abuse of a victim under 15 years of age, contributing to the dependency or delinquency of a child, and neglect or abuse of a minor.
