BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A man and woman from Beckley are facing child neglect charges after two young children were reportedly found wandering a hotel parking lot without clothes.
According to a criminal complaint, on November 6, 2021, Beckley Police responded to a child neglect call at the Travelodge at 1939 Harper Road. When police arrived they were told two children had been running around the parking lot with minimal clothing on.
According to the complaint, one child was taken into a nearby Dairy Queen by employees in an attempt to give them a shirt. The other child ran back into the hotel room inside the Travelodge. When officers got to the hotel room, they found two adults, Patrick Plumley and Hannah Murphy, with the one child.
During further questioning, Plumley and Murphy told officers they had fallen asleep and when they woke up, the door was open and the kids were gone. Murphy also told officers the children’s mother had left the hotel room at some point through the night. Neither Plumley or Murphy could give officers an accurate time of when the children had last eaten. According to police, the hotel room was in “disarray” and was “unfit for any children”.
Once Child Protective Services were on scene, they were able to talk to everyone involved. During questioning, Murphy and Plumley gave conflicting statements.
Both Hannah Murphy and Patrick Plumley are charged with two counts of child neglect creating the risk of injury or death. They are both in Southern Regional Jail under a 10,000 dollar bond.