Child, 3, found wandering Austin road; mother arrested

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – An Austin woman is jailed on $150,000 bond and charged with child abandonment after her 3-year-old daughter was found wandering a northeast Austin road at night.

A police affidavit reviewed by Austin television station KXAN (http://bit.ly/2kGvUn8 ) shows a woman driving on the road Thursday evening called officers after she nearly struck the child, then got out to help the little girl.

Police found the child was partially dressed and barefoot and had a large bruise on her forehead.

Authorities say about 30 minutes later, 27-year-old Jessica Espinosa emerged from a home nearby, said she had been resting and the girl was her daughter. Police found she had other children – 1, 6 and 11 years old – and couldn’t say what they’d been doing.

Espinosa then was taken into custody.