Child In Kennesaw Abuse Case In DFCS Custody: Report

KENNESAW, GA -- The child of a Smyrna mother facing criminal charges after allegedly leaving her in a hot car outside a popular shopping mall in Kennesaw is in state child services custody, Patch has learned.

Dao Truc Le of Smyrna is charged with child cruelty in the incident, which occurred Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. at 400 Ernest Barrett Parkway at Town Center at Cobb. Her little girl is in custody of the Division of Family and Children Services, according to news reports. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Kennesaw Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Le appeared before a Cobb judge this week to be formally charged. "The mother actually worked inside the mall and left the child there while she went to work, but obviously it was intentional," Cobb police spokeswoman Alicia Chilton told WAGA-TV.

Investigators believe the little girl was alone in the vehicle for 2 and a half hours, Cobb police spokeswoman Alicia Chilton said in a news release. When mall security located the toddler, the vehicle's engine was off and the windows were all rolled up.

Read more: Mom Arrested After Child Found In Hot Car Outside Mall In Kennesaw

Image via Cobb County Sheriff's Office