October 26, 2025
Authorities say a Copperas Cove woman packed up her apartment and moved out while her child was at school, sparking a felony child endangerment charge.
A Texas mother has been charged with felony child endangerment after police say she moved out of her apartment while her 12-year-old son was at school—without telling him.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by People, 32-year-old Erica Renee Sanders allegedly vacated the Copperas Cove apartment she shared with her son on October 17, taking all belongings and furniture.
When the child returned home from school that afternoon, he found the apartment “empty” and “completely barren,” the responding officer noted.
The situation came to light after the boy’s school principal contacted police around 5:18 p.m., reporting that the child had discovered his home abandoned. Officers who arrived at the scene confirmed the boy’s description and said he appeared confused and unaware of where his mother had gone.
Neighbors later told investigators that Sanders and her boyfriend, Keven Dwyane Adams, had a “history” of kicking the child out of the apartment. Police echoed this claim, citing a “history of contention” between the couple and the boy.
Both Sanders and Adams were arrested, and the case has been referred to the Texas prosecutor’s office for review. Sanders faces a third-degree felony charge of abandoning a child under 15 without intent to return, according to court documents.
The boy reportedly told police that his mother and Adams had mentioned moving at some point but never told him when. Adams later claimed Sanders “had not abandoned” her son, but admitted the child “was not welcome” in his home. Sanders told police her brother was supposed to pick up her son after school, but she refused to share contact details.
Hours later, after no one retrieved the boy, officers contacted the alleged uncle’s girlfriend, who said he had no knowledge of any such arrangement. Police then took the child to the Copperas Cove Police Department and notified Child Protective Services (CPS).
By evening, CPS allowed Adams to take custody of the child, though he refused to provide their new address. Police eventually located the residence through water utility records, and around 9:20 p.m., the boy was released to Adams—who reportedly “complained at length” about caring for him.
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