SPRING, Texas – The parents of four children have been charged after Harris County sheriff’s deputies said three of them were found standing in a roadway Thursday night during a welfare check in Spring.
The kids were initially discovered by a man and his girlfriend, and her sister, around 10 p.m. in the 4000 block of Cypress Hill Drive. Lizette Lingle, 17, said they were walking back from a store when they saw the children.
“We were coming back home from the Valero down the street and we just see them,” she said. “They were in the driveway just running around in the street.”
According to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the children were left alone for up to two days.
“One of those kids could have got hit, said Jonathan Ubeda, who was among the group that spotted the children. “One of them only had pants on, no shirt, and it’s freezing. One of them was completely naked.”
Deputies said two boys and two girls, with the oldest being close to 4 years of age and the youngest being about 1, were found. Gonzalez said the 1-year-old had fallen from the crib and was on the floor.
“I mean, the kids could have been hit by a car out here or could have remained in the home and something (could have) happened,” Gonzalez said. “It appears that the youngest toddler, about a year old, a year and a half, may have fallen from a crib, and so there could have been an injury there. I mean, we’re talking small children. It’s a shame.”
Lingle said she had entered the home to see if there was an adult inside when she heard the thump.
“I ran in and I see this tiny baby. It didn’t look like a one-year-old. I mean he was so skinny and little.” she said.
Ubeda said the conditions inside of the home were heartbreaking. He described the house in disarray.
“There’s water all over the floor, and the saddest part was when we saw the chair right by the fridge door open, and it’s like they’re hungry. They’ve been starving,” Ubeda added.
The couple called for help, while they said other neighbors changed the children’s soiled diapers and fed them.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they said the 4-year-old boy told them, “I think mommy is dead.”
“That was something very chilling,” Gonzalez said during a news conference Friday morning.
In addition to HCSO investigators, CPS responded to the scene and the children are now with family members.
Gonzalez said the children’s mother and father were later found at a motel located at 9155 Highway 6. The mother, who has been identified as 27-year-old Angel Huff, has been charged with three counts of child endangerment.
Gonzalez said a felony violation of bond conditions has been filed against the children’s father, 31-year-old Markel Dorsey. Court documents show Dorsey has two assault charges on his record for choking Huff in hotels, and he also has a charge for evading arrest and violating a protective order.
CPS released the following statement:
“Child Protective Services is investigating this case alongside law enforcement to ensure the well-being of the children. We’re grateful the children were found unharmed and that they’re now safe with other family members.”
The children are now staying with a trusted relative. Deputies said authorities have been called to the home several times prior to this incident. Anyone with additional information on this incident is urged to contact HCSO at (713) 221-6000.