News 18 Investigation: Child left alone in empty apartment overnight

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A child was left alone in an empty apartment over night Monday. Now, a neighbor who found the child speaks out.

Jackie Potts said she received a knock on her door Tuesday morning. When she opened it, she found a neighbor boy standing there with tears in his eyes. Potts said the 11-year-old boy said he spent the night alone.

"He came in, I got him calmed down, and fed him breakfast because he said he was hungry. He told me his mom left him the night before last, at like 4 o'clock in the afternoon, said that she would be back in the morning to pick him up and take him to school," said Potts.

Potts said she took the boy back to his apartment. That's when she discovered there was only a box spring and the boy's book bag inside. She said the electricity was also turned off.

Potts believed the boy's mother was in the process of moving out.

Potts called the police and the Department of Child Services. She said the boy lied to police officers to protect his mother.

"'I know you're trying to cover up for your mom but you have to be protected. As a child, if your mom can't protect you, somebody else has to,'" Potts said she told the boy.

According to a statement released by the Lafayette Police Department, after the mother was located and interviewed, the child was released back to the parent. Potts said officers and DCS (Department of Child Services) should have done more.

"A child deserves a life. He deserves to be protected, he deserves to be safe. Children deserve stability," said Potts.

The Department of Child Services said in a written statement to News 18, "While federal and state laws prohibit DCS from sharing specifics of the case, it's very important to realize that even when an assessment determines a child can be left in the home safely, that does not mean the conclusion of DCS's involvement with a family."

News 18 decided to knock on the mother's door to get her side of the story. Nobody answered.

Police said the case is still under investigation and is being reviewed by the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's office.