Dad arrested after two kids escape from abusive home; what happened to the mother of these boys? (Sacramento County, California)

Notice that the mother of these boys is totally erased from the story. No mention of her living in the home, and the boys are now in the custody of CPS.

So what happened to Mom? Is she deceased? If so, from natural causes? Or did this abusive/neglectful father somehow obtain custody? If so, who helped him?

Dad is identified as BENJAMIN MONTEZ.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/12/30/father-arrested-after-kids-escape-from-home-on-christmas-day/

Father Arrested After Kids Escape From Home On Christmas Day

December 30, 2014 5:11 PM

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) – Two local children were reportedly forced to escape a life of abuse and neglect at the hands of their father.

Sacramento County investigators say the boys, ages 7 and 8, roamed the streets Christmas Eve and day. A good Samaritan found them and called police.

The kids were looking for a warm bed and a hot meal.

“We know the small boys had escaped the apartment by crawling out of a second-story window,” said Sgt. Lisa Bowman, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. “They had each other and the blankets they took with them.”

Officers say their father, Bejamin Montez, was later arrested for allegedly abandoning the boys. Investigators say when they got to Montez’s home, they also found a five-year-old boy who appeared to be abused. The brothers left him behind, because they said he was too small to escape.

Montez was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on felony charges of willful abandonment/nonsupport of a child under 14, felony child endangerment and corporal punishment/injury to a child.

“He did not contact our dispatch or sheriff’s department in any shape or form to report the 7- and 8-year-old missing,” Bowman said.

He is being held on $35,000 bail.

The children are in the custody of child protective services.

But their story doesn’t end there. Sheriff’s staff members were so moved by the boys’ situation, they wanted to do more. They organized a surprise holiday party for the kids, complete with donated presents and a Christmas tree.

Officers say the boys thought they were going to have lunch with the deputies who rescued them, but instead found Santa waiting with gifts.