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Eunice woman arrested after child found wandering on road

Posted at 6:49 PM, Apr 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-23 19:49:00-04

Eunice Police arrested a local woman Sunday night and booked her into jail after her 2-year-old was found wandering on a road.

A good Samaritan found the toddler near the intersection of South Vivien and Perchville Road, Chief Randy Fontenot said.

The child had been reported missing by her mother from her car, which was parked at a store in the city, Fontenot said.

But investigating officers watched surveillance video of the store, and no one entered or left her car while she was inside, Fontenot said. In other words, the child wasn’t in the car when the mother arrived there, he said. 

A few minutes later, the call came in that St. Landry and Acadia parish sheriff’s deputies were called to the Perchville Road location – which is the parish line. The child was cold, wet and had a runny nose, he said. The child has been turned over to the father, he said. 

The mother and her companion had differing stories as to where the child went missing, Fontenot said. The mother said it was at the store, the companion said it was at their home, where the child had been left asleep. After the child was found, the companion said they had stopped at that location to use the restroom, Fontenot said.

There’s nothing in that area but country, he added. Police suspect the mother was under the influence of alcohol at the time, he said.

The mother, Amilfa Watley, 21, was booked with child desertion, Fontenot said. She posted bond and was released today. 

Fontenot said his investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened and how the child ended up at that intersection. If anyone has any information they should call Eunice Police.