Mothers of two Alberta children accused of leaving youngsters in extreme cold

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Two mothers have been charged with failing to provide the necessities of life after police found two children shivering in a car in frigid temperatures in southern Alberta.

Lethbridge Police Staff-Sgt. Leon Borbandy said the women were found in a nearby bar around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Borbandy said officers responded to a call about a child in a car and had to break the window to rescue a three-year-old girl who was crying and shivering in a car seat.

An officer then found a four-year-old boy under a pile of clothes in the vehicle.

“The temperature outside was about – 18 C,” Borbandy said Friday. “Both children were transported to the hospital and released. Neither child suffered any lasting injuries.”

The children were placed in the care of a relative.

Borbandy said video surveillance shows a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old woman had been inside the bar for more than an hour.

The women, whose names can’t be revealed to protect the children’s identities, were in custody pending a judicial hearing.

“Children are a big responsibility and they need to be looked after,” Borbandy said. “Sometimes life gets busy, but nothing is more important than looking after a young child.”