Toddler found wandering by road, baby home alone

A Triangle woman faces child abuse charges after police say they found her 2-year-old son wandering near a busy street and her 1-year-old daughter home alone.

A neighbor found the toddler walking by himself near Quantico Gateway Drive at 9:28 a.m. Wednesday, said Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.

The neighbor then took the child to its home, where the front door was open.

The neighbor then called police, who went in and found the boy's 1-year-old sister asleep in her bedroom, Hernandez said.

The mother of the children, Brittany Malloy Tyler, 22, returned to her home at 18534 Quantico Gateway Drive to find police there, Hernandez said.

Officers charged her with two counts of felony child abuse.

Hernandez would not say how long the children were alone or where their mother had gone. It was also unclear who had custody of the children Friday.

Tyler was held on a $3,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Last month, police said, a 22-year-old Dale City man went clubbing and left his 6-month-old daughter home alone.

Officers were called to the 14700 block of Daley Lane to investigate a child neglect complaint, Erika Hernandez said.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.