San Antonio Mom Haley Peoples and Grandmother Rebecca Kelly Arrested After 2-Year-Old Found Wandering Alone in Woods [VIDEO]

A San Antonio mother and grandmother have been arrested after a 2-year-old girl was found wandering barefoot and alone in the woods during the early-morning hours, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).

Haley Peoples, the toddler’s mother, and Rebecca Kelly, the child’s grandmother, were booked into the Bexar County Jail Friday on multiple charges connected to the incident.

Deputies were alerted around 6 a.m. after a concerned neighbor reviewed footage from a trail camera and saw the child walking through a wooded area at 3 a.m., wearing only a dress and no shoes. Temperatures had dropped into the 40s, creating what the sheriff’s office described as “potential life-threatening danger” for the toddler.

The footage prompted an immediate search for the unidentified child. Shortly after, at 7:20 a.m., deputies received a call from the girl’s mother, Haley Peoples, who reported finding the toddler outside earlier that morning.

According to the BCSO statement, Peoples claimed she located the child around 4:15 a.m. but failed to notify authorities for several hours, even as deputies were actively searching the area.

When deputies arrived at the home, they found unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, including trash, soiled clothing, rotting food, rat droppings, and a strong odor of urine. The child herself was soiled, prompting EMS to request a medical evaluation, which Peoples allegedly refused. She also declined to change the child’s clothing, investigators said.

Given the hazardous environment and her refusal of medical care, Peoples was detained for endangering the child.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Rebecca Kelly, the child’s grandmother, attempted to remove the toddler’s three siblings from their elementary school before 9 a.m. School staff reported that Kelly told the children not to discuss the early-morning incident, calling it “a private family matter,” and claimed CPS was on the way.

The sheriff’s office said this attempt to interfere with the investigation posed additional risks to the siblings and obstructed lawful child-safety efforts.

According to BCSO:

• Haley Peoples was arrested for Abandoning/Endangering a Child – Imminent Danger of Bodily Injury.

• Rebecca Kelly was arrested for Interference with Investigation of Abuse/Neglect.

Both women were transported to and booked into the Bexar County Jail.

All four children, each under the age of 8, were taken to a hospital for further evaluation and investigation, the sheriff’s office said.