2-year-old locked in closet, mother sought

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The search continued Wednesday for the mother of a 2-year-old girl locked in a closet for days in a Texas apartment.

Police in Corpus Christi, Texas, sought Adrianna Mendietta, 28, for questioning in child abandonment charges stemming from the incident. She also is wanted on larceny charges and was the subject of two previous child welfare investigations, the Corpus Christi Caller Times reported.

Neighbors phoned Child Protective Services Sunday after they heard calls for help and the sound of banging on the bathtub for two days, an affidavit from Child Protective Services noted.

KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi reported that police broke a window to enter the apartment and found the girl locked in the master bedroom bathroom.

The affidavit noted the apartment lacked furniture, containing only clothes and other items. Police also reportedly found a 9mm handgun in the apartment.

The girl was treated for bruises on her arms, legs, buttocks, inner thighs and face at a Corpus Christi hospital.

The girls father, Benjy Olivarez, 34, is bidding for full custody of the girl and states he hadn't seen the girl for about a month, the newspaper said.