3 charged after child in diaper found in 100-degree heat

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Katherine Carrillo, 20, Muhannad Abdel-Raouf, 21, and Almazen Abdel-Raouf, 22, have been charged by a Lubbock Grand Jury with endangering a child stemming from an incident that took place in late July.

According to an LPD report, on July 27, a front office staff member of Anatole Apartments notified the police of a child crying and standing at the front gates of the complex wearing nothing but a diaper in 100-degree heat. They recognized the child due to a similar incident that occurred on July 12 but had decided not to report it at the time.

The staff member retrieved the child and brought her into the front office out of concern about the heat and the threat of traffic coming in and out of the complex. The staff member told police that the adult occupants were not believed to be at home as the vehicles belonging to the occupants did not appear to be at the apartment.

Officers went to the apartment to investigate and noted the substantial distance from the apartment to where the child was found. The apartment was located on the second floor, and upon entering noted that the apartment floor was covered in trash and feces. Feces also appeared to be rubbed onto the wall indicating the child was not left in the care of responsible adults. While the entirety of the apartment was considered unhygienic and not suitable for habitation, the officers noted that the worst area in the apartment was in fact the child’s bedroom.

The officers photographed the apartment and the distance from the apartment to the gate where the child was found crying on the hot pavement. The officer also took a picture of a patrol vehicle that had overheated due to the high temperatures that day.

Both responding officers returned to the leasing office where they contacted a representative with CPS who soon arrived and began his own investigation.

One of the officers attempted to make contact with the child’s mother, Carrillo, but was unable. Though she happened to arrive home from work shortly after. The officers asked if the other two occupants were at work that day, to which she said she believed that they were before changing her answer to “not sure.” The officer asked her what the arrangement was regarding child care if all caretakers were at work, and she told officers that typically the child goes with Almazen to work, and then she picks her up from there. However, the officers noted that Carrillo had returned home from work without indicating she had gone to Almazen’s place of work to pick up the child casting doubt on the arrangement.

Carrillo told officers that the child had been in daycare but was not anymore. Considering the condition of the apartment and the fact that the child had been left alone while all caretakers were at work, officers placed Carrillo under arrest.

Almazen’s brother, Muhanned, arrived at the complex after being contacted by police. Muhanned asked if the child was okay and was told the child was found standing at the front gate but was okay due to the involvement of the apartment staff. Muhanned told police that anytime the three of them leave the apartment, they make sure to lock both deadbolts on the door as well as the patio to ensure the child doesn’t leave the apartment alone. Police informed Almazen that he would be placed under arrest. He asked the officers if they could turn his car off for him which they agreed to do. While officers were turning off his car, they located three clear bags that appeared to contain cocaine.

Almazen was arrested after arriving at the complex around 7 p.m.

Police also located a dog on the patio of the apartment. The patio was covered in feces and there was no shelter to provide shade with only a water bowl that had been left out in the hot sun. Animal control services retrieved the dog from the apartment.

On Tuesday, September 20, a grand jury charged all three with endangering a child. A trial date has not yet been set.

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