Mother arrested for allegedly leaving her 3- and 5-year-old children home alone and taking them to work

According to the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department, a woman was arrested after allegedly leaving her five- and three-year-old children home alone while she went to work.

Mariha Dunn, 25, of Pontotoc County, Mississippi, was arrested on May 21 by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department.

Dunn is accused of two counts of child abuse of her children, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

The crime was discovered when a deputy visited Dunn’s home to serve a summons.

When the officer arrived, a 5-year-old boy answered the door and told the officer that his mother was at work and he and his sister were alone. The house, a prefab, was extremely hot due to a power outage, creating a dangerous environment for the children.

The deputy sheriff immediately notified CID, who in turn called Child Protective Services.

The youth welfare office took the children out of the home and placed them with a family member.

Dunn was subsequently taken to the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department Adult Detention Center.

A judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals has set her bail for the two counts of child abuse at $10,000. The investigation is ongoing.