CINCINNATI (WAND) - A mother accused of abandoning her 5-year-old Indiana child has been arrested.
According to authorities in Colerain, Ohio, the child was found walking on a road Thursday night and about an hour after he was abandoned. He is non-verbal and has autism, per a report from NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis.
Colerain Township police spent the night trying to find the child's family by knocking on doors, but did not have any success. They then got child services involved.
The investigation became criminal before Heather Nicole Adkins was arrested Saturday night. She was found at a gas station in Kentucky on an unrelated charge, police said, and gave police a false name. They matched her social security number and later found she was wanted in Ohio for the alleged abandonment of her son.
Adkins is held in the Scott County Jail in Kentucky. She is awaiting a Tuesday afternoon extradition hearing.
Authorities learned the boy was from Shelbyville, Ind. Police said they are continuing to investigate and added the boy is "safe and warm" as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information should contact the Colerain Police Department at (513)321-2677.
