Mom Abandoned 16-Month-Old Son to Meet Hinge Date, Never Returned: Police

Texas police observed the child hanging out of a window, before locating the boy in an apartment with two dogs, wearing nothing but a t-shirt in July; the mother wasn't located until this month ... in California.

A Texas mom is behind bars after allegedly leaving her 16-month-old son on his own in her apartment ... before telling police she was out of town meeting a man she met on a dating app.

25-year-old Reese Louise Myers was booked into the Bell County Jail on Monday on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child, according to FOX 44.

While she was arrested this month, the saga began back on July 28, 2024, when police in Killeen, TX responded to a call about a child hanging out of a broken window, as well as a report that "an aggressive dog was trying to attack the child."

Oklahoma County Detention Center

Upon arriving on the scene, an officer said they observed the toddler with his head and shoulders sticking out from a window -- which wasn't broken, but had previously been repaired with cardboard -- on the ground level.

Once inside the apartment, the officer found the boy wearing only a t-shirt, alone except for two dogs who were described as being very "protective" of the child. He also allegedly appeared to have diaper rash and feces on his skin.

Per the affidavit, officers believed "precautions" were taken, suggesting Myers meant to leave the boy alone -- like the deadbolt and windows being locked, doors closed off, and a baby gate blocking the kitchen area.

KREM/YouTube

When officers contacted the mother, police said she told them she had traveled to San Antonio to meet a man she met on Hinge. The woman allegedly claimed she left the boy with a babysitter she met on Facebook.

Said babysitter, however, allegedly said that while she'd watched the child the previous December, she hadn't spoken with the mother since -- and reportedly showed police that their Facebook messages ceased after December 2023.

Myers was told to return to Killeen, police told Law&Crime, but that apparently never happened.

She was eventually arrested on November 5 at the Fort Irwin Army Base in San Bernardino County, California. Myers was released from custody in California on Tuesday of this week, before she was arrested by the Killeen Police Department the same day.

The boy, meanwhile, has been placed with Child Protective Services.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Highlands County Sheriff's Office