Texas Mother Arrested After Leaving Kids, Ages 3 and 12, Alone For 7 Weeks

A Texas mother was arrested in Alabama after abandoning her 12-year-old daughter and three-year-old son. Authorities said that 31-year-old Raven Yates left her home in Roman Forest on September 28 with no intention to return.

Yates told her daughter that if she told anybody, her father would take her and leave her younger brother alone. During their time alone, the girl would call her father and ask him to order food so they could eat. She claimed that her mother couldn't do it because she was working.

The two kids managed to survive on their own for seven weeks. Family members spotted Yates in Alabama and contacted the children's father. When he found out they had been alone, he booked a flight from California and went to take care of them.

On December 8, an arrest warrant was issued for Yates. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force received a tip that Yates was living with an unidentified man at an apartment complex in Mobile. They served a search warrant at the house and took Yates into custody. She didn't seem bothered by the arrest as she smiled when she was put into a squad car.

"She was photographed in handcuffs with a full smile on her face and seemingly unbothered by the charges against her for allegedly putting her own children in danger," Roman Forest Police Chief Stephen Carlisle said. "I don't know if she was playing a part or whatever it is, but she, I think, was playing for the camera. She wanted to have a smile. She wanted to look good. The arresting officer reportedly said she asked about putting lipstick on before the photo was taken."

She is awaiting extradition back to Texas to face charges of abandonment and child endangerment without intent to return.