A mother has been accused of abandoning her four-year-old girl at a truck stop in Missouri then telling police she did not have a daughter.
Kayla Marie Christensen was arrested on child abandonment and endangerment charges after allegedly leaving her daughter behind early Friday morning, according to Law & Crime.
Officials said Christensen, a mother of three, left the unidentified girl in the middle of the night at Love's Travel Stop just east of I-35.
Upon questioning, the mother allegedly denied having a daughter and told officers she only had two boys, according to officials.
'As [the victim's] mother and person legally responsible for her care, [Christensen] left four-year-old JV1 with the purpose of wholly abandoning her under circumstances likely to result in serious physical injury or death, as evidenced by knowingly driving away, failing to return, and later denying that she had a daughter,' according to the affidavit cited by the outlet.
Officers with the Neosho Police Department first responded to a report of the young child alone at the truck stop just before 3am, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said Christensen allegedly drove off with her two boys and did not plan to return for her daughter.
Investigators found that her two sons were not properly restrained in the vehicle and were in close proximity to 'suspected drug paraphernalia,' including syringes, according to officials.
Kayla Marie Christensen, a mother of three, allegedly left the girl at Love's Travel Stop in Missouri in the middle of the night on Friday
Police said the mother had no intention of returning to the rest stop (pictured) for her daughter. Officials claim that the mother claimed her only children were two boys
Police said the circumstances 'created a substantial risk of injury not only to the children but also to other motorists and members of the public,' according to the affidavit.
Christensen was also accused of leaving her boys inside her vehicle while she went into a casino in Wyandotte, Kansas, according to KZRG.
Christensen was hit with eight charges, including second-degree child abandonment, three counts of child abuse or neglect, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of failing to properly restrain a child.
Police thanked employees at the truck stop for keeping the girl safe until officers arrived.
Arrest records show the mother was taken into custody on October 23 but was no longer in custody as of October 27.
It remains unclear when Christensen is expected to appear in court.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Neosho Police Department for comment.
Christensen was hit with eight charges, including second-degree child abandonment, three counts of child abuse or neglect, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of failing to properly restrain a child (Neosho Police Department pictured)
