Mother, Boyfriend Accused of Leaving 4-Year-Old Home Alone

A mother and her boyfriend are being accused of leaving their 4-year-old home alone in their Norcross-area apartment for nearly 12 hours.

According to the Gwinnett County Police report, 21-year-old Nyota Priscilla Mubiayi and 28-year-old Curtis Lee Pickett were arrested on charges of cruelty to children in the second degree and possession of less than 1 oz. of marijuana.

Officers found the young boy on a late Friday afternoon in a cold one-bedroom residence at Indian Trail Apartments, located at 1100 Indian Trail Road in unincorporated Norcross.

Police noted that the apartment was cold and the front door was open, and the 4-year-old was the only one home. He told police he was scared and didn't know where his mother was.

The boy said he was hungry, too, and even attempted to drink some curdled milk on the counter. He told officers that his mother had cooked him chicken and rice, but police didn't find evidence of the meal at all.

There was hardly any food in the apartment at all, officers noticed. Old, stale pizza scraps were found on the counter next to the spoiled milk and several open bottles of water. The pantry was almost empty, and the fridge only had water bottles and various condiments.

Police did find a small, clear plastic bag of green leafy material on top of the television in the bedroom, though. The room also had a single bed on the floor that the three shared, and there were piles of adult clothing in several corners and closets. The apartment had almost no clothing for the child.

Gwinnett Police were able to locate the boy through the help of Sprint Corporate Security. Sprint originally called authorities and after they spoke with the boy when he tried to make a call from his mom's cell phone, and the company was able to find the address with the help of Gwinnett's 911 dispatch.

The renter of the apartment, boyfriend Curtis Lee Pickett, arrived shortly after police. Pickett, who's not the father of the child, said that he had not been home since leaving for work at 6 a.m. He assured officers that he didn't know the boy was left at home and thought Mubiayi, his girlfriend and mother of the boy, was supposed to take him to her mother's house.

The mother came home about an hour or two after police found the boy. The report notes that she appeared to be surprised that police were in her apartment, and she didn't appear remorseful until she was placed under arrest after police questioned her.

She told officers that she left at 6 a.m. and had been working all day, just like Pickett. Mubiayi said she left before her boyfriend, though, and the baby sitter was supposed to come and watch her son.

An employee from DFACS came by and took the 4-year-old, but explained that she was planning to give him to his maternal grandmother.

As for the marijuana, the boyfriend told police that it was his girlfriend's. Mubiayi said she didn't want to talk about it. 

Inside the Police Reports runs regularly every week. The information is based solely on police incident reports provided on request.

See also: 

• Norcross Man Accused of Sexting Meadowcreek Student
• News Nearby: Bomb Threat Made in Gwinnett Bank Robbery

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