Mother charged after police say children found wandering naked

ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — An Anson County mother is facing criminal charges after deputies said her young children were found wandering nearly naked and alone along a rural highway.

Last Tuesday, deputies arrested Marcilla Hudson on charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Deputies said a PeeDee Electric utility crew spotted Hudson's 2- and 3-year-old children, nearly naked, walking down Gulledge Road with no apparent supervision in sight.

"They were very unkempt, the little boy had an extremely dirty diaper on. They walked up to the guys working and asked for something to eat," said Sheriff Tommy Allen. "The guys immediately tried to grab some coats and T-shirts to put on them."

Investigators said the employees couldn't tell where the children came from, so they called 911.

"We are concerned for their safety. We think they are from a neighbor's house," the utility worker told dispatchers.

Deputies arrived and took the children to a nearby volunteer fire department, where they bathed the children, put them in fresh diapers and clothing, and fed them.

DSS workers were called out, and they took custody of the children, according to authorities.

Sheriff Allen said deputies managed to track down the children's mother later that day, but said she was unable to offer a reasonable explanation for their situation.

Hudson told deputies she had left her children three days before and was spending time in Marshville, according to investigators.

"The mother was just sort of indifferent about the whole thing, when asked where she was, what she was doing," Allen said.

DSS officials said a judge will hold a custody hearing about the children on Tuesday.

WSOC