An Alabama woman, 33-year-old Hassanah Jabriah Smith, is accused of leaving her two sons at a hotel without food or drink for days. Reportedly, the youngest of the kids, a 5-year-old, is a non-verbal, autistic boy.
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As reported by WALA, the incident occurred on August 9, 2025. At the time, Daphne Police Department officers responded to Comfort Suites, a hotel located on North Main St.
Upon arrival, concerned hotel employees, who called police in the first place, told officers that two boys, aged 15 and 5, had been left on their own all day. Police were able to track down Smith and contacted her on the phone after speaking with the boys.
Daphne Police Chief Brian Gulsby said that Smith allegedly claimed to be at the store. However, she then changed her story, saying she was in Tennessee, “and then at some point Atlanta was mentioned,” Gulsby said.
After the Department of Human Resources was contacted by Daphne police, the children were left by themselves at the hotel. It was believed, at the time, that Smith would return on Saturday night.
A day later, on Sunday, August 10, employees once again called. They said that the children had been left alone and that the autistic 5-year-old was found in a swimming pool.
Smith had allegedly failed to appear on Saturday night.
No Food Or Drink
Police officers, once again, responded to the hotel, and they learned that the kids had been left alone with no food or drink.
“The officers bought food for them both on Saturday and on Sunday,” Gulsby added.
As soon as the mother returned to the hotel on Sunday, she was arrested. When questioning her and the hotel staff, police alleged that this was not the first time that the children had been left unattended.
Reportedly, Smith checked into Comfort Suites back in July 27, 2025. She had checked in, according to police, with her two sons and her boyfriend. As per Gulsby, hotel staff described Smith’s alleged actions as a “pattern” since they arrived at Comfort Suites.
Furthermore, as reported by WKRG, Smith allegedly claimed that she had gone to Atlanta due to a health emergency. She left her kids at the hotel because she didn’t want to expose the 5-year-old to the emergency, the police alleged.
Hassanah Jabriah Smith is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She was booked into the Daphne Municipal Jail on a $2,000 bond.
The children were released into the custody of Smith’s boyfriend.