Mother of naked girl found eating trash faces charges

The mother of a 12-year-old girl found walking naked through a neighborhood and eating out of trash cans faces possible endangerment charges.

Neighbors noticed the girl roaming through trash cans looking for food and called 911.

Police arrested the girl's mother, Tracy Betts, shortly after officers, acting on witness tips, searched for the girl Thursday and found her without clothes and sitting in a car parked near Vail Elementary school.

Betts was arrested Friday but released on $15,000 bail. She is expected to appear in court in the coming days. Her daughter is in protective custody.

Resident Dominique Prado told the Press-Enterprise she and her husband saw the girl naked and shoeless, holding a piece of bread in her hand. She tried to cover herself with a car floor mat.

They brought the girl some food and waited for police to arrive, Prado said.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-3070.

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