Simi Valley Police Find 4 Children Left Alone in Home

In what appeared to be a local version of the “Home Alone” child-neglect case that has drawn national attention, Simi Valley police said Tuesday that they found four children, ages 6 to 13, living alone in a house while their parents were in Northern California.

The children, whose names were withheld, were healthy and had food when officers found them Monday afternoon, police said. The children had been unsupervised since Thursday, police said.

“I’ve been here 18 years, and I can’t think of many times where the parents have been gone for a long period of time,” Lt. Ken Tacke said.

The children were released to a relative who lives in the San Fernando Valley. Simi Valley police planned to give the results of their investigation to the Ventura County district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges against the parents.

David and Sharon Schoo, who live near Chicago, were arrested last month after they left their daughters, age 9 and 4, at home alone while traveling to Mexico on a nine-day vacation.

Tacke said highly publicized cases such as the Schoos’ “kind of heighten people’s awareness” about child-neglect incidents.

In the Simi Valley case, an unidentified “mandated reporter,” meaning a teacher, physician or other professional who is legally required to report possible child neglect, contacted police. The informant said he or she suspected that the children had been left alone for extended periods.

Police said the parents were not at home Monday when officers found the children: three boys, ages 13, 8 and 6, and a 10-year-old girl.

Tacke said he did not know whether the parents were vacationing or working in Northern California while the children were alone. Police said the parents are represented by an attorney and are cooperating in the investigation.