Toddler Found Dangling from Window While Mom Went on Date

KILLEEN, TX – A 25-year-old Army veteran is facing charges after allegedly leaving her 16-month-old son home alone in distressing conditions while traveling over two hours away to meet a man from the dating app Hinge, according to police.

Reese Louise Myers was arrested after authorities responded to a child welfare check in July at her Killeen apartment. Neighbors reported finding the toddler hanging out of a broken ground-floor window, near what appeared to be an aggressive dog. Police said the window was covered with cardboard and plexiglass rather than glass.

Upon entering the apartment, officers discovered the child wearing only a shirt, covered in feces, and suffering from diaper rash. The affidavit states that the apartment doors were deadbolted, and a baby gate blocked off the kitchen, suggesting the child had been left alone for an extended period.

Myers allegedly told officers she was in San Antonio, over two hours away, on a date with a man she met on the dating app Hinge. She claimed she had arranged for a babysitter via Facebook, but the sitter reportedly had no recent communication with Myers and had not agreed to babysit. A former roommate also alleged that Myers often left the child unattended overnight.

The child was evaluated at a hospital and placed in the care of Child Protective Services. Police instructed Myers to return to Killeen immediately, but she reportedly traveled to California instead. Authorities apprehended her at the Fort Irwin Army base 1,400 miles away.

Myers, who had served in the U.S. Army and worked as a paralegal, faces a charge of abandoning or endangering a child, a third-degree felony in Texas. If convicted, she could face two to 10 years in prison. She remains in custody in Texas as the case progresses.