Parents of 2-year-old abandoned in car near Gig Harbor fought before leaving

A toddler abandoned in a car Sunday outside a Gig Harbor-area gas station was left by both parents, authorities said Friday.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department initially believed the 2-year-old girl was left by just her mother.

Sheriff’s detectives who reviewed surveillance footage saw the 29-year-old woman jump out of the passenger seat of the car before it pulled into the gas station and take off running.

A minute later the father parked the car and walked off in the opposite direction.

The couple appears to have been in a domestic dispute before leaving their daughter in the car parked by the gas pumps at 14317 Purdy Drive NW, near the Purdy Spit.

An employee at the gas station called for help about 2:30 p.m. after noticing the child had been alone in the car for at least 20 minutes.

Deputies found the girl asleep in the back seat.

Heroin residue, drug paraphernalia and shaved keys used to steal vehicles were also found in the car.

Child Protective Services recognized the name of the registered owner of the car and connected deputies with the girl’s grandmother, who came to the gas station and waited with the toddler.

The girl was placed in foster care.

Neither the mother nor father has been arrested.

Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said investigators were nearly ready to present a case to the Prosecutor’s Office for possible charges.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Parents of 2-year-old abandoned in car near Gig Harbor fought before leaving."