A 20-year-old Tennessee woman is facing felony charges after police say she left her 1-year-old child alone in a car for hours while she was “extremely intoxicated” from celebrating her birthday.
Ashlynn Elizabeth Taylor was arrested and charged with one count of felony child abuse, neglect and endangerment of a child under 8, along with one count of felony leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, according to court records.
Officers responded to a home on Woodcrest Drive Monday morning after a man discovered Taylor asleep in a vehicle belonging to his family, a police report states. When questioned, Taylor reportedly told officers she had been out celebrating her 20th birthday the night before and became heavily intoxicated. She said she did not remember how she ended up in the vehicle, which she confirmed was not hers.
According to investigators, a friend of Taylor’s said Taylor called her around 3 a.m. asking for money and then a ride. The friend picked up Taylor, who had her 1-year-old with her, and drove them back to Taylor’s home. Taylor reportedly refused to leave the car once they arrived. The friend said she initially took the baby inside, but brought the child back out to the car after the baby began crying, cracking the windows before turning off the ignition.
Around 8 a.m. the next day, the friend’s sister was leaving for school when she reportedly found the baby alone in the car. Unable to locate Taylor, she contacted the child’s grandmother, who came to get the baby.
Police say Taylor had left the vehicle around 6 a.m. and did not return until after the child was found at 8 a.m. During that two-hour window, the heat index reportedly reached 88 degrees with 72% humidity, according to court records. Investigators later found Taylor asleep in a neighbor’s car nearby.
When officers initially asked Taylor where her child was, she told them the baby was with her friend, the report states.
Taylor is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, according to records.