Police: Mother left girl, 3, at Wal-Mart in Muncie

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) – Police say a mother left her 3-year-old daughter at a Muncie Wal-Mart and didn’t notice until after driving 22 miles home to Hartford City.

The Star Press reports the 26-year-old mother was arrested Tuesday on a charge of neglect of a dependent. She was released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond.

According to police, store surveillance video shows the woman and her 34-year-old boyfriend getting out of their car and going inside the store Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say the video shows the girl follow them into the store minutes later, but they then left and drove away without her.

The girl told employees she couldn’t find her mother, and police were called. The mother contacted police an hour after leaving to report her daughter was missing, and said the girl had been sleeping in the backseat.