Mom tells police she left kids alone to go to McDonalds

Hialeah police arrest a mom for leaving two kids home alone

HIALEAH, Fla. – A woman found a toddler crying all alone in the hallways of a Hialeah apartment building late Wednesday night. The toddler was only wearing a diaper and a shirt.

The toddler's mom Yanay Rodriguez, 28, would later tell police she was at a fast food restaurant when she left her two children home alone. Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby said officers arrested Rodriguez about 3 a.m Thursday.

About 11 p.m. Wednesday, Rodrigue'z neighbor Graciela Sola (Sola means alone in Spanish) found the two-year-old walking around the apartment building, 1855 W. 60th St. The 10-year-old sibling was also left alone, but was inside the apartment.

When Rodriguez got back home about 2:55 a.m., officer were waiting to arrest her. She told them she was at McDonalds. The children were not hurt.

The mom has a history with the Department of Children and Families. In 2009, she was arrested for child abuse, records show.

"We have an open investigation and we are cooperating with law enforcement," DCF spokeswoman Lisette Valdes-Valle said.

Records show Rodriguez was charged with two counts of child neglect. She was released on a $5,000 bond.