Mother of Lost Boy Found Involved in a Robbery

By Katie McFadden

A situation regarding a five-year-old boy found wandering around a laundromat parking lot last Tuesday, ended with his mother being identified, after a surprising twist.

On Tuesday, October 7, a five-year-old boy with autism was found wandering around a laundromat at 25-15 Seagirt Blvd. in Far Rockaway, at 5:30 a.m., without a parent or guardian in sight. The boy also had no shoes on and was nonverbal. Fortunately, a laundromat employee, Lidia Rojas, noticed the unusual scene and sought help for the boy. NYPD held on to the boy and released his photo in hopes of identifying his parents and reuniting him.

A friend of the family called police and directed them to the home of the child, around the corner from the laundromat. What police found at the home was no adult, but three other abandoned children, between the ages of 6 and 10. The older children told police that they hadn’t seen their mother, Leshea Harris, since the night before.

Upon running her name, police found that Harris was a suspect in a home invasion in New Lots, Brooklyn, the night before. Harris allegedly snuck into an apartment through a window, and then let an alleged accomplice, Amariah George, in through the front door, according to a complaint report to police. The accomplices allegedly attacked a woman inside the home and Harris allegedly tried to taser her. They proceeded to rob the home, making off with a bag of clothing. Harris was arrested in the area about an hour later.

Leshea Harris, 30, now faces charges for abandoning her children, and for the robbery. She has been charged with four counts of reckless endangerment and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The children are allegedly in the custody of the Administration for Children’s Services.