Mother Left Babies Alone For Hours, Police Say
Wayne woman charged with child endangerment after 8-month-olds found in home, soiled.
A pregnant Wayne woman has been charged with child endangerment after police found her 8-month-old children alone inside a house Friday night, police said.
Dolly Santiago, 29, was charged after police found her two children alone inside a Cayuga Trail home at about 5:15 p.m. Friday, Det./Capt. James Clarke said.
Santiago’s grandmother notified police from the residence that she had not heard from Santiago since Thursday, Clarke said. She and police tried to gain entry to the house, which was locked, police said.
Police heard a baby crying when they were on a deck on the back of the house and forced themselves into the residence, Clarke said, and smelled a strong odor of “urine and feces” upon entering.
Officers found an 8-month-old baby boy and girl soiled in a crib and a bassinet in a bedroom, Clarke said.
The infants were taken to Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pequannock, Clarke said, and are now in the care of a relative.
A missing person's report was issued for Santiago on Friday, saying she was last seen walking away from her house at approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday by a neighbor.
The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency was notified, the missing person’s report and police said.
Clarke said the children had been alone in the house “certainly for hours.”
Relatives on Thursday told police that Santiago has a history of drug abuse and prostitution, Clarke said.
Police said relatives spoke to Santiago’s live-in boyfriend, who was in Florida, on Friday to see if he knew where she was. He was unable to contact Santiago by phone, police said.
Santiago returned to the residence at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday when she was charged with child endangerment, Clarke said.
Clarke said he did not know if Santiago has any prior charges filed against her out of Wayne.
Municipal court Judge Peter Weiss set bail at $100,000 with no 10 percent option.
Santiago is currently being held in the Passaic County Jail, Clarke said.
— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
EL
1:03 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
Please do ot give these children back to this mother, eVER.
Alissa Harding
3:20 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
Completely disgusting. What a piece of garbage. Those poor babies. I could cry just thinking about them screaming and hungry.
brendalee
3:29 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
No argument, but she stands a very good chance, eventually.....as long as she doesn't have a husband whose a lawyer looking to collect rather than pay child support....then even an exceptional mother may not get them back.
Scondo
5:03 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
It is no longer Division of youth and family services, they changed the name to something else, trying to distance from old dysfunctional agency
carol sorwiec
9:05 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
my my this woman does not deserve to have these children,keep them away from her before she does more harm to them...what a country we live in..keep these children safe.
Heather
10:16 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
How sad that their are so many couples unable to conceive and this woman has 2 children and one on the way. I pray the system doesn't fail these children.
Scondo
7:54 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The system, what system ? there is no system! Go 75 miles outside Times Square and you will plainly see that. the real world does even faintly resemble Wayne NJ.
Nose Wayne
7:58 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
PREGNANT FEMALE ? Guess who is gonna support that one ? THE TAXPAYERS !!!
WaterGoddess1106
9:12 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The children and the baby coming should never but never be with a person like that. I hope and pray that dyfs doesn't play the " family reunification tune" with these babies. I also hope that they don't remember the trauma that they must have gone through. We should emulate Holland and have a special Town for prostitues.
eyes wide shut
11:56 am on Saturday, September 1, 2012
If she is renting in Packanack Lake are, i wonder who did the background check on her BEFORE renting her the home?
Charlies Angel
3:08 pm on Saturday, September 1, 2012
PREGNANT FEMALE! Left two 8 month old babies ALONE! Another one on the way! They should put an end to that now!
moca
9:12 am on Sunday, September 2, 2012
The father is equally responsible for the children and should be charged with child endangerment as well - if he can be found.
Kim Graves
11:54 am on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
how is the bf responsible..when he was in florida?
Susan Bond
12:30 pm on Sunday, September 2, 2012
Make sure she never gets hold of the one she's carrying. Two babies under a year and having ANOTHER? The "live-in" boyfriend's in FLORIDA? Missing for 3 DAYS? KNOWN druggie and prostitute? In this case... lock her up and throw away the key.
Susan Bond
12:31 pm on Sunday, September 2, 2012
Oh... and if (and when... we know how the system works these days) she gets out... make sure she's NEUTERED. (Live like an animal, get treated like one.)
Tara
4:30 pm on Sunday, September 2, 2012
What a disgrace.. I'm sure all of her kids are from different baby daddy's... So sad how some people try and try to have kids and can't and this scumbag just keeps havin them hope she rots!!
J. Alecci
11:36 am on Monday, September 3, 2012
Shame on all of you....including the relatives who were aware of the young women's background and yes they called authorities but there is no other mention of helping her. Yes, I too hope these babies aren't given back to her. I pray they will never ever know the true horror that was bestowed upon them and they are adopted by a loving family. I do pray for that.
It's these other comments about the women herself that I am appalled at. Why don't we just toss her out of society? Come on people, where is this village they talk about? There are worse ones out there.
Shaquanna
8:09 pm on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
OMG I went to Eastside Highschool with her she was such a sweet person the kids def deserve better!!!!......Such a sad story!!!