On 12/08/12 Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to NW Yates Loop in to investigate a lost child.
A citizen discovered a young male child, approximately 2 to 3 years of age, walking in the ditch at the corner of NW Yates Loop and NW Ash Dr. The child was unable to give deputies any information on where he lived, but was able to provide his first name.
Multiple CCSO patrol Deputies responded to the area in an attempt to locate the child’s home. Deputies went door to door in the neighborhood for approximately 2 hours. The child’s mother, Mary Thomas, was eventually located at 1764 NW Nash Rd. It is suspected that the child let himself out of the residence at approximately 10:20 AM and walked down a very long narrow drive way to the area he was located by the concerned citizen. Criminal charges of neglect are currently pending on Mary Thomas.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was also notified and will be assisting the Sheriff’s Office in this ongoing investigation, and DCF is also investigating the incident.
