A horrible story of neglect in Fort Wayne, and just days before Christmas; four children were found home alone Saturday night after their mother having disappeared two days earlier.
Inside the house, police found no running water and the floors littered with garbage.
Bathtubs were also full of trash and the refrigerator and cupboards were bare.
The children, ranging in age of two to seven, are now in foster care.
Ronette Castaneda, the children’s mother, said "If I had known this would have been the outcome, I would have taken different steps. But because this is the outcome I have to deal with the matter on hand and I’m going to do whatever it is I have to do to get my children back with who they belong with."
When police caught up with the mother, she said she needed time to "straighten herself out!"
Police found the children wandering outside the house wearing soiled clothing.
Ft. Wayne Mother Abandons Her Four Children