A mother in central Illinois is facing serious charges after she allegedly abandoned her two young children, including a baby who depends on a feeding tube, with people she had only just met — and then denied being a parent at all when police caught up with her.
According to authorities, Nakeia Morris, 25, was taken into custody in Sangamon County on charges of driving under the influence and endangering the life or health of a child. She is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail.
The situation reportedly began Sunday evening at Comer Cox Park in Springfield, where Morris and her two children — a 7-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy — crossed paths with another family whose kids were playing nearby. The families reportedly hit it off enough that Morris was invited back to their home on Yale Boulevard so the children could continue playing together.
That’s when things took a troubling turn. Authorities say Morris left the residence around 10:30 p.m. without explaining where she was going. The homeowners tried reaching her repeatedly, and around 3 a.m. she allegedly sent a text claiming she was heading back — a message investigators say turned out to be false.
By 5 a.m. Monday, the worried residents contacted police, revealing they had been left responsible for two children they barely knew, including an infant with unknown feeding requirements and no clear timeline of his last meal.
Roughly 40 minutes later, officers located Morris riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle, allegedly appearing intoxicated. When asked about her children, she reportedly told officers she had none.
She was arrested on the spot. A future court date has not yet been scheduled.