A mother left her nine-day-old baby and toddler sister home alone to drink at a bar, then crashed into a pole and ended up in jail.
Sandra Henriquez, 32, left her home at 12.30am and drove to the Big Shots Pub in Muncie, Indiana, where the neglected infants were rescued 14 hours later.
Her little girls were only saved after neighbors called police at 2.22pm to report hearing babies crying inside the house.
Henriquez had already finished a six-pack of 16-ounce Budweiser cans at home before abandoning them to drink all night.
After the bar closed, she attempted to drive home but collided with a utility pole around 5.30 a.m. on Wednesday, and was apprehended by police.
She refused to answer when responding officers asked if she had children, despite the fact that she was carrying a baby car seat, and they hauled her away from the wreck to the Delaware County Jail.
Then, at 7.27 a.m., she allegedly told jail staff that she had ‘no dependents’, but by 8 a.m., she had changed her tune to say she did have children.
However, the infants remained hours away from rescue because she allegedly refused to give officers her address or phone number.
Police arrived at 2.31pm and forced open the door after learning Henriquez was in jail, discovering the children covered in feces.
Both were rushed to the hospital, and while the older girl was healthy, the baby needed to be fed through a feeding tube due to her poor condition.
The newborn was ‘urgently cyanotic’ with blue hands, feet, and mouth due to malnutrition, and weighed less than when she was born on March 3rd.
The next morning, Henriquez posted photos of her new baby girl on Facebook, wrapped in a swaddling cloth at the hospital.
‘After about 11 hours of labor, she made her debut at 10.14pm on March 25, four days after [her sister’s] birthday,’ she wrote.
‘She weighed only 5 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 17 inches long. Happy and healthy. Happy birthday, momma. I love you and can’t wait to see what this crazy world brings you.
Hours before giving birth, Henriquez shared photos of her older daughter’s first birthday party, as well as a video of the girl saying her first words.
There were also photos of family and friends celebrating, and none of them were aware of the children’s situation two weeks later.
Instead of cake, family, and party costumes, police discovered open cans of alcohol and a small dog in a cage without food or water.
Henriquez was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division, where she allegedly told jail staff about leaving her children at home to go to the bar after drinking the cans.
‘Henriquez had numerous opportunities to notify officers and other staff about her children being home alone,’ police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Henriquez was even asked about children, but he refused to answer.
A year ago, the older girl’s father shared celebratory photos of her as a newborn, smiling alongside her mother and son.
She couldn’t wait to meet Mommy and Daddy! Mommy was only in labor for 2 1/2 hours, and she did fantastic!’ He wrote.
‘Thank you, Jesus, for the smooth delivery. Blessed is an understatement. This little beautiful lady captured my heart and gave me my first taste of love at first sight.
Henriquez now lists herself as single on Facebook.
She was held on $42,500 bail and charged with four counts of neglect of a dependent, including one for causing serious injury, as well as obstruction of justice.
