TX - Raven Yates charged with abandoning 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son at her home for 2 months - 3/11/23

[Bishop Black]

Texas Mother Arrested After Allegedly Leaving Her 2 Children Home Alone for 2 Months

After allegedly abandoning her children at home in Texas between September and November, Raven Yates was arrested Wednesday in Mobile, Ala.

people.com

After leaving her two children at home alone for more than two months, a Texas mother has been arrested in Mobile, Ala.

According to a news release from Roman Forest Police Department, officers apprehended Raven Yates on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at an apartment complex where she was staying with a male friend after allegedly abandoning her 12-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son on Sept. 8.

The children's father notified RFPD on Nov. 14 that his kids were allegedly deserted for the past two months, "much of the time without access to food or medical supplies." During that time, the kids were not registered in school.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Following to see if this happened and if so, what her defense will be.

Also answers are needed as to why no relative, including their father, realized this was happening for 2 months. Maybe they all have a reasonable explanation, but let's see. It's very sad no one noticed for that long.

Did the 12-year-old take care of the 3-year-old from Sept. to Nov? Wow!

 

[iamshadow21]

Following to see if this happened and if so, what her defense will be.

Also answers are needed as to why no relative, including their father, realized this was happening for 2 months. Maybe they all have a reasonable explanation, but let's see. It's very sad no one noticed for that long.

Did the 12-year-old take care of the 3-year-old from Sept. to Nov? Wow!

I'm guessing the father isn't very involved with his kids. If he had regular visitation, it wouldn't have gone on for so long.

I'm also speculating that the twelve year old is used to having to be the parent, and probably sought help when she ran out of food in the home and had no money left to get more. I would expect if they were accessing a foodbank or soup kitchen before now, someone would have noticed two kids that young coming in all the time, alone. Poor lambs. I'm just glad that this isn't an instance where no one knows until one or both have died.

MOO

 

[cheemsg]

I'm guessing the father isn't very involved with his kids. If he had regular visitation, it wouldn't have gone on for so long.

I'm also speculating that the twelve year old is used to having to be the parent, and probably sought help when she ran out of food in the home and had no money left to get more. I would expect if they were accessing a foodbank or soup kitchen before now, someone would have noticed two kids that young coming in all the time, alone. Poor lambs. I'm just glad that this isn't an instance where no one knows until one or both have died.

MOO

The 12 y/o was probably scared to tell anyone they'd been left alone because she knew her mom would get in a lot of trouble/go to jail. I can see her trying to keep it a secret from even other family.

 

[Erutan]

Respectfully .... Why oh why didn't their father come and get them ??
Unless he didn't know for the full two months !
Was the twelve year old too fearful to call their dad, and let him know what was happening ?
Was the boyfriend of the egg donor (will not call her a 'mother') threatening the kids if they 'told' ?
Holy crapola.
Poor kids.

How did this go on for two months !
I suspect they'd been threatened by egg donor and the boyfriend.

Was the egg donor at least bringing them food ?
Even if she was -- that was outright abuse !!

Imo.

 

[iamshadow21]

Respectfully .... Why oh why didn't their father come and get them ??
Unless he didn't know for the full two months !
Was the twelve year old too fearful to call their dad, and let him know what was happening ?
Was the boyfriend of the egg donor (will not call her a 'mother') threatening the kids if they 'told' ?
Holy crapola.
Poor kids.

How did this go on for two months !
I suspect they'd been threatened by egg donor and the boyfriend.

Was the egg donor at least bringing them food ?
Even if she was -- that was outright abuse !!

Imo.

The father might be out of state. They might not have had a way to contact him, even if they wanted to. It's not like it was when I was a kid, where phone numbers of close family and friends lived in the little book by the phone or the White Pages. Most homes don't even have landlines any more, many payphones just don't exist any more.

I would hope the home had electricity, had heat. Had at least some pantry staples for the kids to eat.

But this is someone who, with the little information we have, seemed to just want to go off with some guy and pretend she was single and childless and pretend those kids didn't exist.

I think she just walked out the door one day and didn't look back, or care.

MOO

 

[WingsOverTX]

Even looking at social media posts, there's something fishy about the facts & circumstances here. Glad the mother was found & arrested. I hope other adults who should or could have intervened will be looked at.

A 12 yo not in school is a red flag. A child that age can reach out for help & was supposedly asking their father who was working out of state for food money.

I hope these children are safe now but am concerned they may not be.

Here's an article from Feb. 10 with more details.

New Caney mom accused of abandoning her two children at home for two months is wanted by police

A New Caney mom is wanted by the Roman Forest Police Department after she was accused of abandoning her two children at their home for two months,

www.houstonchronicle.com

JMO

 

[Erutan]

The father might be out of state. They might not have had a way to contact him, even if they wanted to. It's not like it was when I was a kid, where phone numbers of close family and friends lived in the little book by the phone or the White Pages. Most homes don't even have landlines any more, many payphones just don't exist any more.

I would hope the home had electricity, had heat. Had at least some pantry staples for the kids to eat.

But this is someone who, with the little information we have, seemed to just want to go off with some guy and pretend she was single and childless and pretend those kids didn't exist.

I think she just walked out the door one day and didn't look back, or care.

MOO

Yes, and maybe the older child didn't have a phone, even though there is calling and/or facetiming -- that night not have been an option for the child ?
It's sad that this went on for two months, though.

I'd be not only calling authorities but possibly showing up at the residence if I didn't have assurance via facetime or calls that my kids were safe !
Esp. if the older one was contacting me for food money.
Two months is too long.
And the youngest was only three years old, not much bigger than a toddler.
Imo.

 

[iamshadow21]

Even looking at social media posts, there's something fishy about the facts & circumstances here. Glad the mother was found & arrested. I hope other adults who should or could have intervened will be looked at.

A 12 yo not in school is a red flag. A child that age can reach out for help & was supposedly asking their father who was working out of state for food money.

I hope these children are safe now but am concerned they may not be.

Here's an article from Feb. 10 with more details.

New Caney mom accused of abandoning her two children at home for two months is wanted by police

A New Caney mom is wanted by the Roman Forest Police Department after she was accused of abandoning her two children at their home for two months,

www.houstonchronicle.com

JMO

The daughter would call him regularly, telling him her mother was working, he said.

So, she did cover for her. And she did call on him to help them stay fed. And he did help. He just didn't know they were completely alone.


"Surprisingly, the 12-year-old did a really good job, because both of them were really healthy," Carlisle said.

Good on you, kid. You should never have had to be in that position, but you took care of the both of you, and you did good.


The daughter did not tell the father immediately out of fear of her brother being left alone, he said. The 3-year-old has a different father, he said.

She didn't want them to be separated. It's not an unreasonable fear to have, given their age difference, gender difference, and half-sib relationship. They would probably have been split up by social services. She's effectively been his parent for two months full time (and I suspect was taking care of him as a parent for much longer). I wouldn't want to be separated, either.

MOO

 

[bestill]

Her fb is something else! Log into Facebook

https://abc13.com/texas-mom-arrested-raven-yates-in-alabama-mothers-accused-of-abandoning-children-found-alone-roman-fores

 

[charminglane]

Her fb is something else! Log into Facebook

https://abc13.com/texas-mom-arrested-raven-yates-in-alabama-mothers-accused-of-abandoning-children-found-alone-roman-fores

Boy oh boy.
No photos of children.

 

[Erutan]

The daughter would call him regularly, telling him her mother was working, he said.

So, she did cover for her. And she did call on him to help them stay fed. And he did help. He just didn't know they were completely alone.


"Surprisingly, the 12-year-old did a really good job, because both of them were really healthy," Carlisle said.

Good on you, kid. You should never have had to be in that position, but you took care of the both of you, and you did good.


The daughter did not tell the father immediately out of fear of her brother being left alone, he said. The 3-year-old has a different father, he said.

She didn't want them to be separated. It's not an unreasonable fear to have, given their age difference, gender difference, and half-sib relationship. They would probably have been split up by social services. She's effectively been his parent for two months full time (and I suspect was taking care of him as a parent for much longer). I wouldn't want to be separated, either.

MOO

Red bolding mine.

It's just that a request for food money from a twelve year old should have been a red flag, even if the dad thought Raven was at home with the kids.
Concerning.
Very sad what this woman put them through.
M00.

 

[Baciagalupo]

My heart breaks for the 12-year old. What a great kid.

 

[Erutan]

I'm guessing the father isn't very involved with his kids. If he had regular visitation, it wouldn't have gone on for so long.

I'm also speculating that the twelve year old is used to having to be the parent, and probably sought help when she ran out of food in the home and had no money left to get more. I would expect if they were accessing a foodbank or soup kitchen before now, someone would have noticed two kids that young coming in all the time, alone. Poor lambs. I'm just glad that this isn't an instance where no one knows until one or both have died.

MOO

Bbm.
The posts on the egg donors facebook pages are critical of the twelve year old's father.
So it's possible even if he had regular visitation, Raven was denying him access ?
After two months, though, he could have gone to court to enforce visitation; esp. after getting pleas for money for food ?
It looks like these kids were being let down by everyone -- including the school authorities who must have wondered why this child wasn't in classes ?
Imo.

 

[iamshadow21]

Bbm.
The posts on the egg donors facebook pages are critical of the twelve year old's father.
So it's possible even if he had regular visitation, Raven was denying him access ?
After two months, though, he could have gone to court to enforce visitation; esp. after getting pleas for money for food ?
It looks like these kids were being let down by everyone -- including the school authorities who must have wondered why this child wasn't in classes ?
Imo.

They had been in the area for a year, and never enrolled in school there, according to one of the articles. The school district didn't know they existed.

MOO

 

[Erutan]

Her fb is something else! Log into Facebook

https://abc13.com/texas-mom-arrested-raven-yates-in-alabama-mothers-accused-of-abandoning-children-found-alone-roman-fores

Self-obsessed much ?
Smh.
Very heartbreaking that the older child covered for Raven to protect the three year old, I'm sure the kids are closely bonded !
M00.

 

[Erutan]

They had been in the area for a year, and never enrolled in school there, according to one of the articles. The school district didn't know they existed.

MOO

I'd like to think the kids will not be returned to her, ever !
But the courts don't always rule in favor of the children's best interests.

 

[bestill]

Boy oh boy.
No photos of children.

There actually are a few of the youngest one, she even put filters on some of them to change his eye color. Poor kids.

 

[charminglane]

There actually are a few of the youngest one, she even put filters on some of them to change his eye color. Poor kids.

Oh good.
I am not adept with FB. I only clicked through the round profile slideshow.

 

[bestill]

Her fb is something else! Log into Facebook

https://abc13.com/texas-mom-arrested-raven-yates-in-alabama-mothers-accused-of-abandoning-children-found-alone-roman-fores

Her IG accts

https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodfamouzdb/

https://www.instagram.com/famouz_db_/

YT

https://www.youtube.com/@MsFamouz1