Van with 3 children inside towed away while mother runs errand, Minnesota cops say
.jpg "Three children were found inside a van that was towed from a parking garage in Minneapolis, Minnesota, police say.")
Three young children were found inside a van after it was towed from a parking garage in downtown Minneapolis overnight, according to Minnesota police.
Security guards said the van was parked illegally and they called a towing company to remove it from the garage on Aug. 27, the Minneapolis Police Department said in a news release.
The mother of the children returned to the garage to find the van and her three kids, all under 5 years old, were gone, police said.
The van’s windows were heavily tinted and there was no indication that anyone was inside, an employee with the towing company told TV station KMSP.
When the mom learned what happened, she called the towing company, police said.
Officers responded to a “report of a found child” at about 3:12 a.m. after the children were discovered under a blanket in the backseat of the van.
“After the mother arrived at the towed location and officers determined that the children were not in immediate danger, the children were evaluated by EMS and released to her care,” police said.
The mother told investigators that “she had only intended to briefly park there as she ran an errand nearby,” according to the release.
It’s not clear how long she was gone or what the errand was.
“Hennepin County Child Protective Services was notified and a police report for child neglect was completed,” police said.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Van with 3 children inside towed away while mother runs errand, Minnesota cops say."