Two mothers have been charged after they left three children unattended in a casino parking lot in Pickering on Monday evening.
Police responded to a well-being call at a casino at 888 Durham Live Ave around 7:45 p.m., according to Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS). At the scene, they found three children, a two-year-old, and a nine- and 10-year-old.
They were left in a vehicle parked in the casino lot and were found by security playing on the roadway near Church St., police said.
“The eldest child told police that they were left alone by their mother, so she could attend the casino. The child also said that they were given a cell phone, but the phone had since died,” read a press release posted on X.
Later, security footage revealed the children were alone and unsupervised for over four hours.
As a result, police located their parents and they were charged under the Child Youth and Family Services Act.
A 39-year-old woman from Aurora, who is the mother of the nine- and ten-year-old, and the mother of the youngest child, a 41-year-old woman from Markham, have been charged with leaving their child unattended.
Police say Durham’s Children’s Aid Society (CAS) was also contacted and an investigation has been launched.
