A San Antonio woman has been arrested after deputies say she told her young daughter to walk nearly 19 miles to school alone following a night of drinking.
Lucia Victoria Marie Cruz, 35, is charged with abandoning or endangering a child in imminent danger of bodily injury, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Girl Found Walking Along Busy Highway
The incident unfolded Wednesday morning in San Antonio, along suburban streets and State Highway 211. A witness spotted the girl, who is under 12 years old, walking alone about a mile from her home.
Authorities said the child was seen near the congested four-lane highway, trying to stay off the road but forced closer to traffic by cactuses and brush. The distance from her home on Orpheus Way in the Far West Side neighborhood to Peggy Carnahan Elementary School is more than 19 miles — a trip that would take roughly seven hours on foot.
The witness picked up the child and contacted school resource officers. The girl reportedly told deputies she did not have a cellphone with her in case of an emergency.
Allegations Against the Mother
According to investigators, the girl said she attempted to wake her mother after Cruz had passed out from drinking wine the night before. Deputies allege Cruz briefly woke up, refused to drive her daughter to school, told her to walk, and then went back to sleep.
When deputies later spoke with Cruz and her boyfriend at the home, she allegedly admitted she knew her daughter was walking to school.
Court records show Cruz was booked into the Bexar County jail Wednesday evening and released early Thursday morning after posting bond. The child’s father, who has primary custody, later went to the school after learning about the incident.
