TPD Investigating After Two Small Children Found Wandering In Tulsa

A mother could face charges after someone found her two young children wandering in the pouring rain near a busy road before sunrise.

Police said the mother contacted them about four hours after the children were found; investigators said they’re still trying to figure out how it all happened.

A north Tulsa neighborhood near West Pine and the Tisdale Expressway is in shock after a toddler and pre-schooler were found wandering alone just off the busy expressway Monday morning.

Joan Wynn has lived in the area for 43 years and said it’s not the best place for children to be wandering alone.

"Now that really did scare me because if they had got up there, and it's raining, and the cars come flying up around…they would have been goners," Wynn said.

The kids were found by a driver and another person nearby - both called police.

Corporal Mark Kraft said, "Very concerning considering the young age of the children and the weather at the time. You know, if there hadn't been those people out that early in the morning, which there often aren't, you know, people just don't go out at 4:00 in the morning, and if they hadn't been found when they were, you know, we might be looking at a very different situation."

Detectives said the mother called them around 7:30 a.m. when she noticed the two children were gone.

At this point, police have to figure out if it was just a terrible accident or something more negligent.

"From there we will determine whether or not charges will be filed," Kraft said.

As for Wynn, she said the mother is lucky that her children are safe.

"As a mother, you have to get up in the night and check on your kids, and in the morning check on them," she said. “My first thought when I heard about it on the news was that these kids didn't run across these wild, vicious dogs…If they had ran into these dogs, she wouldn't have had no children."

The children will stay in DHS custody until investigators determine if it's safe to give them back.