Mother arrested for leaving her son home-alone for several weeks

He was placed in the care of a relative

The National Police charged the woman with child abandonment. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

Andrew EdePalma23/04/2024 19:01

On Monday, the National Police in Palma arrested a woman after officers were called to an apartment building where her 13-year-old son had been living on his own for several weeks.

Neighbours contacted the police around 3am. The boy was banging on doors in the building, and the police were informed that this wasn't an isolated incident and that it had been some weeks since his mother had been seen.

The apartment he was living in was a mess. There was rotten food on a table, and the police discovered that there was only the one bed - the boy's.

The police were able to contact the mother, and she arrived at the apartment some two hours later. She told officers that she had moved into another flat but hadn't yet got it ready for her son.

She was arrested and charged with child abandonment. The boy was placed in the care of a relative. A decision has yet to be made about his future.