A 1-year-old child wearing only a diaper was found alone near the side of the road in the 14400 block of Ella Boulevard on Friday, Aug. 14. Harris County Constable Precinct 4 deputies responded and confirmed the child was safe.

Deputies detained an adult woman following a welfare check, according to Constable Mark Herman's office on X and a separate report from Hoodline.

"Thankfully, this child was located before something tragic occurred," Herman said in a statement posted Aug. 14. "Our deputies will continue investigating the circumstances that led to this young child being found alone near the roadway."

Deputy Kelly conducted the welfare check that led to the woman being taken into custody, according to Hoodline, which cited a Precinct 4 Facebook post. The woman's name, her relationship to the child and any potential charges have not been released.

The 14400 block of Ella Boulevard sits in an unincorporated stretch of north Harris County within Precinct 4's jurisdiction.

Herman's office posted about the incident at 10:40 p.m. Aug. 14 but did not provide a timeline for when the child was initially found or when further information might be released.

Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.041, abandoning or endangering a child younger than 15 can range from a state jail felony to a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison if the child was exposed to imminent danger of death or bodily injury. No charges had been publicly confirmed as of Saturday, Aug. 15.

This incident is separate from the death of 2-year-old Yanessa Martinez, who was found unresponsive at a Spring gas station on Aug. 7. That case is being investigated by the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Anyone with information about the Ella Boulevard incident can contact the Constable Precinct 4 office.