Little Girl Allegedly Flees Home with Handcuff on Arm Claiming She'd Been Abused, Grandmother Arrested

Laura Southworth, 54, is facing charges of child neglect and unlawful restraint, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE

A West Virginia grandmother was arrested after she allegedly handcuffed her granddaughter, who escaped the home and went to the neighbor’s home for help.

Laura Southworth, 54, is facing charges of child neglect and unlawful restraint, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

Charleston police officers were called to the neighbor’s home around 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, “in reference to a neighbor’s child showing up at their house saying she was abused and that she had a handcuff on her arm," per the complaint.

According to the complaint, the child “was able to slip the handcuff off of her right wrist but was unable to slip the one off her left wrist.”

Southworth allegedly admitted to handcuffing the child the previous evening for allegedly stealing food and “trying to leave the house without permission,” per the complaint.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.    

“This means [victim] was handcuffed for approximately 13 hours and it should be noted that the handcuff that was on her wrist, was very tight, and eventually officers were able to remove the handcuff,” according to the complaint.

Police described the home as “extremely messy with multiple items covering the floor throughout the house,” according to the complaint.

A preliminary hearing for Southworth is scheduled for Oct. 2.

She has yet to enter a plea.

Her attorney could not be reached for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.