Mother Arrested After Her Child Escaped a Hotel Room She Was Using For Prostitution

A woman in Indiana was arrested after a months-long investigation into an incident in June when her non-verbal daughter with autism was found wandering a hotel parking garage alone.

Isabella Nadine Bertinelli was taken into custody and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, according to court records obtained by Globe. In an arrest affidavit viewed by WFIE, police responded to a call that a 3- or 4-year-old child was alone in a hotel parking garage. It was determined that the youngster escaped her hotel room and was quickly brought back.

When they arrived, police found Bertinelli, 21, asleep on a couch. The outlet reports that when her boyfriend asked her what she thought was going to happen to the child, Bertinelli responded, “She will be dead.”

Upon further investigation, police alleged that she was engaging in prostitution out of the hotel room, bringing multiple individuals into the room. Police say that it’s unclear who was watching the child during this time.

The girl was officially removed from Bertinelli’s care in July and placed with her father. As the investigation continued, police say a search of Bertinelli’s phone revealed she was allegedly searching for ways to obtain meth and ecstasy as recently as June.

In another brazen act on her part, when Bertinelli was forced to take a drug test, she submitted a sample of water instead of her urine. When pressed, she admitted she was reluctant to give a real sample because she had been smoking marijuana.

She was arrested and booked in Vanderburgh County Jail on Monday, August 21. She has since posted bond and is due to appear in court on September 16.