Izard County, AR. – 34-year-old Joanna Taylor was arrested on July 2, 2024, and charged with 12 counts of endangering a child after she left her two-year-old son locked in her apartment during her 12-hour shifts.
According to the probable cause statement, Izard County deputies were dispatched to Taylor’s residence after receiving a call from a concerned neighbor about the child’s wellbeing after they heard about Taylor being arrested in Fulton County for unrelated charges. The neighbor knew that Taylor frequently left the child locked in her apartment by himself.
When deputies arrived on the scene approximately 14 hours after Taylor’s arrest, they had to break down the door to get into the apartment and found the child in the back bedroom alone. The door to the room was shut and there was a baby gate on the outside of the door to prevent the child from leaving the room. All the lights were off, the child had no food or water, and he was found wearing two soiled diapers. Deputies called for medical treatment, changed the child’s diapers, and gave him food and milk. The Izard County Sheriff’s Office did note that Taylor did not mention the child or tell anyone that he was by himself while she was being held in jail.
During an interview, Taylor stated that she had left him in the apartment 7 days a week while she was at work for 12-hour shifts and continued to admit that for the past two months, she left him alone every night. Taylor also stated that she did this because she had no babysitter and no family support. She was headed to work when she was arrested in Fulton County for a failure to appear charge. Dupties also want it noted that once the family was notified of the child they arrived at the department within minutes and provided care for him.
The child was in extreme danger of death and injury when they found him in the apartment. Joanna Taylor is being held on a bond set at $60,000.
