When Abernathy's neighbors saw the children wandering around their apartment complex about 7:20 a.m. they called Mesa police
When police arrived, they found the 2-year-old eating dog food from the pantry. There were urine and feces stains in the children's rooms, and the refrigerator, which contained mostly alcohol and little food, was shut with a childproof lock.
Samantha Abernathy, 21, of Mesa, pleaded guilty in September to one class-five felony count of child abuse for leaving her 2- and 3-year-old children home unattended.
During an interview with police, Abernathy said she left the children around 2 a.m. to go see an ex-boyfriend and didn't return until about 10:45 a.m.
She will serve three months in jail and 20 years on probation.
This is not the actual picture of the actual child eating dog food.
