Deputies say a game camera filmed the barefoot 2-year-old at 3 a.m. on San Antonio’s South Side as temperatures hovered in the 40s.
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A South Side property owner reviewing game camera footage early Friday saw a 2-year-old girl alone in nearby woods around 3 a.m., prompting a sheriff’s search that ended with the child’s mother and grandmother in custody later that morning, Bexar County officials said.
Authorities said the video set off an urgent response because of the child’s age, the pre-dawn hour and the cold. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said deputies launched a search after the call came in around 6 a.m. Less than two hours later, the child’s mother contacted authorities and reported the girl had gotten out of the home. Deputies arrested the mother on suspicion of abandoning or endangering a child and took the grandmother into custody on a charge of interfering with a child-abuse investigation. Child Protective Services took custody of the girl and her siblings for medical evaluations while detectives documented conditions inside the home.
Investigators said the property owner called after seeing the small figure move through brush wearing only a dress and no shoes. The sheriff’s office, which described the overnight temperatures as in the 40s, said the situation posed “life-threatening danger” for a child of that age. Deputies canvassed the area and checked nearby residences while dispatchers notified hospitals and patrol units. At about 7:20 a.m., the girl’s mother, identified by the sheriff’s office as 25-year-old Haley Peoples, reported that her daughter had left the house earlier in the morning and that she found the child outside around 4:15 a.m. Officials said Peoples did not call for help during the hours when deputies were already searching based on the game camera alert.
When deputies reached the family’s residence, they said they found “unsafe living conditions,” including piles of trash, soiled clothing, rotting food and rat droppings, as well as a strong odor of urine. Emergency medical crews requested a medical evaluation for the 2-year-old after finding her soiled, according to the sheriff’s account. Officials said Peoples declined the evaluation at the scene and refused to change the child’s clothes, leading deputies to detain her. Detectives booked Peoples into the Bexar County jail on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child — imminent danger of bodily injury. Jail records for bond information were not immediately available Friday.
Deputies said the girl’s grandmother, identified as Rebecca Kelly, returned to the residence while investigators were there but left after being asked to wait for a supervisor. Investigators later learned Kelly went to Harmony Elementary School before 9 a.m. and tried to remove the girl’s three siblings from class, authorities said. School staff reported that Kelly told the children CPS was coming and instructed them not to discuss what had happened, describing it as a “private family matter,” according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies detained Kelly at the school and arrested her on a charge of interference with investigation of abuse or neglect. All four children, each younger than eight, were taken to a hospital for evaluation and then placed under CPS care while the investigation continues.
The property sits on the city’s South Side, an area where large lots and wooded tracts border residential streets. Investigators did not immediately say how far the child may have walked from the family’s home or whether the camera’s location was on adjoining land. Detectives also did not specify whether other relatives or neighbors saw the child during the hours between 3 a.m. and the mother’s 7:20 a.m. call. The sheriff’s office said evidence from the residence and the camera footage will be part of the case file forwarded to prosecutors. No injuries were reported to the child beyond exposure concerns noted by EMS, and officials said hospital staff would conduct more detailed checks.
Child Protective Services opened a parallel case to determine temporary placement for the siblings while criminal charges proceed, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials said investigators are reviewing the timeline, including when doors were last secured, when adults in the home went to bed and when the child was first noticed missing. Detectives will also examine whether prior calls for service or CPS referrals exist for the address. The sheriff’s office said any charging decisions beyond the initial arrests will come from the Bexar County district attorney after detectives submit their reports, photographs and witness statements.
Authorities said they are also seeking additional footage from nearby homes to map the child’s route. Temperatures at the time were in the 40s, and the footage showed the child barefoot in a dress, details officials repeatedly described as alarming for the pre-dawn conditions. “This little girl faced potential life-threatening danger at that hour,” the sheriff’s office said in a written statement. Detectives did not release the specific address of the residence, citing the ongoing investigation and the involvement of minors. The department did not immediately provide the name of the property owner whose camera captured the video.
Peoples is accused of abandoning or endangering a child under a Texas statute that covers conduct placing a minor in imminent danger of bodily injury. Kelly is accused of interference with investigation of abuse or neglect, an offense that can involve attempting to remove a child from oversight while investigators gather facts. The sheriff’s office said both women were booked into the county jail Friday. Initial court appearances had not been scheduled as of late Saturday, and officials did not release attorney information for the defendants. The district attorney’s office said it will review the case once it receives the investigative packet.
Neighbors on the block where deputies responded described a morning of patrol cars and a brief school alert as deputies went to Harmony Elementary. Parents arriving later saw marked units near the campus entrance as staff worked with deputies. The sheriff’s office said school personnel followed standard procedures when the grandmother appeared, and staff notified authorities after her request to remove the children. No lockdown was announced, and officials said classes continued while deputies handled the arrest at the school.
As of Saturday afternoon, the children remained under CPS supervision pending placement decisions and follow-up medical checks. Detectives said they will interview additional witnesses and collect any remaining footage before submitting the case to prosecutors this week. The sheriff’s office said updates would be provided when charging documents are filed or if additional arrests are made.
Author note: Last updated December 7, 2025.