Background: Big Shots Pub in Muncie, Ind. (Google Maps). Inset: Sandra Henriquez (Delaware County Sheriff’s Office).
Indiana police were called to a home where neighbors reportedly heard babies crying — while their mother was in a nearby jail.
Court documents, obtained by local Fox affiliate WXIN, reveal that police were alerted to an incident in Muncie in the early hours of March 12 where a vehicle had struck a pole at an intersection. Sandra Henriquez, aged 32, was found inside the car and was reportedly speaking in a slurred manner according to law enforcement. Upon noticing a car seat in the vehicle, officers inquired if she had any children. Henriquez initially claimed she had “no dependents” at 7:22 a.m.
Approximately thirty minutes later, when questioned by personnel at the Delaware County Jail, Henriquez admitted to having children but refused to disclose her residential address, as per documents from the Muncie Star Press.
Concurrently, Muncie Police Department officers received reports from neighbors of Henriquez who alleged hearing infant cries emanating from her residence around 2:22 p.m. that same day. Police, as detailed in court paperwork, entered the home and discovered two infants — a 1-year-old and a 9-day-old — both of whom were found in soiled diapers.
The documents stated that the newborn showed signs of malnutrition, including blue extremities and lips. The older baby was reportedly in good health. Both babies were rushed to the hospital for treatment, and the newborn was reportedly treated with a feeding tube.
Police also reportedly found several open beer cans and a dog in a cage without food or water.
WXIN reported that by 3 p.m., Henriquez was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division and interviewed. She reportedly told police that she had gone to a bar called Big Shots Pub at around 12:30 a.m. that morning after drinking a 6-pack of 16 oz. cans of Budweiser. Henriquez allegedly admitted that she left her two babies at home.
Henriquez now faces preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, abandonment, two counts of neglect of a dependent, and obstruction of justice. She is currently in custody at the Delaware County Jail on $42,500 bond.
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