Illinois Woman Charged After Child Found Wandering Alone in Indiana Hotel
An Illinois woman has been charged with felony neglect after authorities found her 3-year-old child alone in a hotel stairwell late Tuesday night in Michigan City, Indiana.
According to a report from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to the Microtel Inn on West 400 North around 11:38 p.m. on May 13, 2025, after a guest reported finding a young child unsupervised in a stairwell. The child, later identified as the daughter of Eternity Onya Leflore, 25, was unable to say where her mother was or provide her full name.
Hotel staff and deputies attempted to locate the child’s guardian by calling rooms with female guests who had checked in with children, but no one claimed to be missing a child. About 90 minutes after the initial call, Leflore and another woman returned to the hotel and were contacted by deputies.
Leflore reportedly told police she and her companion had gone to her car to look for a laptop and ended up smoking marijuana, losing track of time. Deputies noted the strong odor of marijuana and reported that both women appeared unconcerned by the law enforcement presence.
The Indiana Department of Child Services was contacted, and the child was placed in the care of family. Leflore was taken into custody and transported to the LaPorte County Jail.
She was formally charged on May 14, 2025, with Neglect of a Dependent, a Level 6 felony.
