Child Found Alone in Apartment Later Tests Positive for Drugs, Police Say

JONESBORO, Ark. — A Jonesboro woman was arrested after police said a 5-year-old child was found abandoned and alone in an apartment, and later tested positive for multiple drugs at a hospital.

Jayla Terryona Carter, 26, was arrested for first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, a Class D felony.

According to the probable cause affidavit, officers were dispatched June 21 to the 1900 block of Links Circle in reference to an unattended juvenile. When officers arrived, they found a 5-year-old victim who had been left abandoned and alone inside an apartment.

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Officers located information inside the apartment identifying Carter as the child’s mother and the person responsible for the child’s well-being, the affidavit said.

While inside the apartment, officers noted drug paraphernalia, alcohol and medications left within reach of the child.

After the Arkansas Department of Human Services took custody of the child, officers were told the child had been taken to a hospital. Medical evaluations showed the child tested positive for amphetamines, barbiturates and THC, according to the affidavit.

Carter appeared Monday, June 22, before District Judge Tommy Fowler. Bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.

The judge also issued a no-contact order, with any contact involving the child to be handled through DHS supervision and decision-making. During the hearing, Carter told the judge she receives disability benefits for the child.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court.