Warrant issued for mother who left four young children home alone

PITTSBURGH — A mother is facing charges for leaving her children home alone then telling officers to “just take them.” A warrant has been issued for Takoya Parker, 35, of East Hills.

According to the criminal complaint, police were sent to her Park Hill Drive apartment Saturday for a welfare check on her four children. It was the second time in two weeks that officers were called to the apartment for a report of children left alone, authorities said.

Nobody answered the door, when officers arrived Saturday, but they could hear young children talking to each other inside, the complaint said. A maintenance man let officers into the apartment where they found the children, ages 10, 6, 5 and 3.

The criminal complaint stated that the apartment appeared to be in disarray; there were no working lights other than in the kitchen and no beds. A large kitchen knife was on the counter, and a screw driver was on the floor, the complaint stated.

The children told officers they had not eaten recently, according to the complaint.

Officers were able to get a phone number for the children’s mother from Allegheny County Children Youth and Families.

According to the criminal complaint, when they contacted Parker, she told them she was at work and could not leave to come home. She told the officer “just take them,” in reference to her children.

Parker did give police permission to allow the children to go with a neighbor, who watched them until a CYF worker arrived.

There’s a warrant for Parker’s arrest on charges of endangering the welfare of children. As of 11 a.m. Monday, she was not in custody.

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