What led to Chiengkham Vilaysane a California mother abandoning her two year old daughter at a Riverside grocery store? A history of mental illness and intrigue.
Chiengkham Vilaysane a 31 year old southern California woman has been arrested on suspicion of having deliberately left her two year old daughter at a Riverside grocery store.
Chiengkham ‘Cindy’ Vilaysane’s arrest came after authorities issued an appeal to the public with the woman eventually being outed after surveillance video went viral.
Upon her arrest, Cindy was taken into custody on suspicion of child endangerment, child neglect and being under the influence of controlled substances.
Mother and child had been shopping at the Riverside store on Sunday, when at one point Vilaysane’s child wandered away. When another shopper brought the child back to the mother, Vilaysane is alleged to responded, ‘just leave her’.
The girl was found around 5pm at the Food-4-Less on Van Buren Boulevard, unharmed but alone.
When cops showed the toddler the surveillance video, she identified Vilaysane, in a black tank top and shorts, as ‘mommy’.
On Monday, police released surveillance footage of Vilaysane in the grocery store with her daughter in an appeal to the public since her identity was still unknown.
When Vilaysane walked into a bank around 5pm on Tuesday, a teller recognized her from news reports and called police.
She was arrested and booked on suspicion of child endangerment, child neglect and being under the influence of controlled substances.
Of note, a report via the LA Times tells of Vilaysane once placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, along with having run-ins with the police for drug and alcohol offenses.
To boot, the mother was also recently kicked out of her family home.
As of Monday evening, Vilaysane’s daughter has since been placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
Offered Paul Miranda, a Riverside detective via the dailymail: ‘She is safe as we speak, and in good health other than being shaken up by what’s going on.’
Authorities have since able to locate the girl’s family members who are aiding in the investigation.
Vilaysane’s social media pages list her as being 32 years old and say that her daughter’s name is Danica.
Vilaysane posted a number of mom and daughter photos, while posting on March 2 that she was ‘ready to leave whenever’ with her ‘husband to be’.
Vilaysane also has an older daughter, who lives with her father, police said.
Her Facebook page also lists her as a Junior Production Officer at the Department of Defense.
Press Enterprise reported that a social media account for Vilaysane listed her as working at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department as an assistant section officer.
But the Riverside Police said on Twitter that they have no record of a woman with her name as working at the Riverside Police Department.
Social media users have since taken to the suspect’s social media pages where many left condemning comments for the mom, while others wished for her to get the mental care that she needs…
