SPRING, Texas (KTRK) — A Spring-area mother is in jail Monday night, accused of endangering or abandoning her three children after deputies responded to a 911 call she made reporting one of them missing.
According to court records, Ritrice Webb faces three charges related to the care of her children. However, neighbors and her attorney say the situation may be more complicated than the allegations described in official documents.
Webb called 911 over the weekend from her home in the Spring area after she could not find her 6-year-old son, according to her attorney, Joe Vinas.
“It’s undisputed that she’s the one who called 911,” Vinas said. “She asked one of her other children to wake her six-year-old from a nap, and he was missing. They searched for a while, couldn’t find him, and called police for help.”
The child was later found at his grandmother’s home.
When Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables arrived at the residence, they found the home in poor condition, according to court records. Deputies reported visible dead cockroaches and rodents inside, along with a foul odor throughout the house.
Investigators also wrote that the children appeared unkempt, according to the records. Webb was then arrested and charged with three counts related to child endangerment or abandonment.
Some neighbors in the quiet Spring subdivision say their experiences with Webb and her children do not match what investigators described.
“I have seen the kids, they’re nice, they never bother me, they don’t look unfed, unkept,” Ana Rodriguez, who lives across the street, said. “They do wander around, but kids do that. If I don’t have mine at home, they would be wandering too. I can’t judge what people have based on what they see from the outside.”
Another neighbor, Milton Wallace, said residents in the area occasionally tried to help the family and were mainly concerned about the children’s well-being.
“To me, they needed some love, somebody to really help them, which we tried to do from time to time,” Wallace said. “I really hope the kids are taken care of.”
Vinas said he plans to visit the property himself as he prepares Webb’s defense.
“I’m going out to the scene and going to see what’s going on,” he said. “But I don’t think the final version is going to be what the police have right now.”
Real estate records show the home contains two separate apartments, one over the garage and one in the main house. Neighbors confirm one of the units has been empty for some time, as the tenant moved out last year.
It is unclear, at this point in the investigation, whether the deputy constables examined the correct unit when they showed up to look for the missing child.
Calls to the listed landlord of the home were not returned.
Authorities say the three children are currently with relatives and are safe.
Vinas urged the public not to rush to judgment as the case moves through the court system, and all the facts come to light.
Webb had previously been charged with abandoning a child in 2017, when one of her kids walked across the street without supervision, per court records. She took a plea deal and was sentenced to community service.
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