BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A couple arrested after their toddler wandered away from their southeast Bexar County home, which sheriff’s investigators described as “filthy,” could face additional charges.
A Bexar County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said detectives also have an ongoing investigation regarding an elderly relative of the couple who was found living amid those same conditions.
Benito Lopez IV, 36, and Alexandrea Prewett, 33, were both arrested Sunday on separate child endangerment charges.
Their arrests came after deputies responded to a call at approximately 10:30 a.m. Sunday for a child dressed in a “heavily soiled” diaper who had been wandering the streets of their subdivision, located not far from Interstate 37 and Southton Road.
Deputies soon learned the 2-year-old girl had wandered away from a home in the 4100 block of Eutrophic Circle.
According to a report, Prewett did not notice her daughter had left the home until after those deputies arrived. It stated Prewett told them she had put the child in her bed with her and fallen asleep.
Relatives explained the toddler likely got out of the home through a door that was left open, the report stated.
The report also detailed the conditions inside the home, which deputies described as a “filthy hoarding” situation. BCSO said it noticed an “overwhelming” odor of urine with animal waste throughout the home, bags of trash piled up in two rooms, dead bugs and rotting food on counters.
Additionally, the report noted that there was an elderly relative there with open hand and foot sores.
The relative’s room contained bottles of urine, spoiled food and a blood-stained mattress.
When asked whether there may be elder abuse charges stemming from those findings, a BCSO spokesperson said that part of the case is still under investigation.
One of the couple’s neighbors told KSAT 12 News he was surprised to see deputies show up at the home on Sunday morning.
However, he said the original reason for their call — the child wandering the streets — wasn’t a surprise.
A few years ago, the neighbor said he found a different toddler wandering the streets after he got out of the same home.
“We didn’t call anyone because we found the parents and everything was OK. The child was clean,” the neighbor said. “There was no reason for concern. We found the parents and were like, ‘OK. Everything’s OK.’”
In hindsight, the neighbor said he wishes he had called authorities at the time.
“I feel like maybe if we would’ve said something sooner, something (positive) would’ve happened sooner,” the neighbor said.
Because the neighbor apparently did not make a report at the time, neither the sheriff’s office nor Child Protective Services (CPS) had any record of it.
Yadira Gonzales, a spokesperson for CPS, said the child found wandering Sunday will likely be placed in another home, possibly with another relative.
As of late Monday morning, Gonzales said it appeared the girl remained in a hospital where she was taken immediately after being removed from the home.
Gonzales also said CPS had not yet taken custody of the child.
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