The allegations are serious enough that this case would have garnered media attention regardless. The arrest photo of the smiling defendant, a mother accused of abandoning her two children for weeks, has attracted a different kind of attention.
Law and Crime reported that on September 8th, police near Roman Forest, Texas, found Raven Yates's 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son abandoned. For nearly two months, they were reportedly alone, "much of the time without access to food or medical supplies," as stated in a police statement. Their out-of-state father realized they were on their own in November because his daughter continued begging him to send food.
People magazine states that authorities found Yates this week in Mobile, Alabama, where she was reportedly living with a male friend. Chief Stephen Carlisle of the Roman Forest Police Department tells ABC13 that a woman was photographed in handcuffs while smiling broadly and appearing unconcerned about the charges against her for allegedly endangering her own children.
"I don't know if it was a role or what, but she seemed to be acting for the camera. It was important to her to maintain a cheerful demeanor. In other words, she was trying to improve her appearance. The officer who made the arrest allegedly revealed that she had asked to apply lipstick before the mug shot was taken."
ABC station reports that Yates allegedly warned her daughter that if she told anyone that she and her brother were alone, her father would take custody of her and leave her brother alone.
Also unusual: Yates allegedly maintained writing about the crime on social media, which police say led to clues about her location in Alabama after they publicly began searching for her.
Law and Crime reported that on September 8th, police near Roman Forest, Texas, found Raven Yates's 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son abandoned. For nearly two months, they were reportedly alone, "much of the time without access to food or medical supplies," as stated in a police statement. Their out-of-state father realized they were on their own in November because his daughter continued begging him to send food.
People magazine states that authorities found Yates this week in Mobile, Alabama, where she was reportedly living with a male friend. Chief Stephen Carlisle of the Roman Forest Police Department tells ABC13 that a woman was photographed in handcuffs while smiling broadly and appearing unconcerned about the charges against her for allegedly endangering her own children.
"I don't know if it was a role or what, but she seemed to be acting for the camera. It was important to her to maintain a cheerful demeanor. In other words, she was trying to improve her appearance. The officer who made the arrest allegedly revealed that she had asked to apply lipstick before the mug shot was taken."
ABC station reports that Yates allegedly warned her daughter that if she told anyone that she and her brother were alone, her father would take custody of her and leave her brother alone.
Also unusual: Yates allegedly maintained writing about the crime on social media, which police say led to clues about her location in Alabama after they publicly began searching for her.
