Friday, March 26, 2010 | 11:27 a.m.
Diana Ruiz
A mother accused of leaving her 1-year-old daughter inside her vehicle overnight in the desert was arrested today, Metro Police announced.
Diana Ruiz, 20, was arrested in connection with felony child neglect and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. Police say she left her daughter inside her vehicle in a desert area near Blue Diamond Road and Fort Apache Road for more than 12 hours when her vehicle became stuck.
Ruiz told police she left Las Vegas late Wednesday night to visit a friend in Sandy Valley. While taking a short cut on a dirt road, Ruiz’s vehicle became stuck after several miles. Shortly after midnight, Ruiz said she locked her keys and her daughter in the car, police said.
Police said Ruiz wandered the desert area for several hours looking for help. At daylight Thursday morning, she found a home and asked a man for help in finding the car. After several hours of searching for the vehicle, police were called at about 3 p.m. Thursday.
Police found the vehicle about five miles into the desert and the child was taken to University Medical Center for treatment of minor bruises and dehydration. Ruiz’s daughter has been placed in the custody of child protective services.
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