Police said four children, all younger than 5, were found alone outside a Mableton gas station.
MABLETON, Ga. — A witness who heard children crying outside a gas station led police to four young children left in a hot car while their parents gambled inside, authorities said.
The children were found outside the Texaco on Mableton Parkway, where police said Tyshun Lockhart and Jaysonee Worthen were playing slot machines. Officers arrested both parents at the gas station and charged them with multiple felony counts of cruelty to children.
Police said the children were left in the vehicle for about two hours with no air conditioning as the outside temperature rose to about 80 degrees. The youngest child is 4 months old, and the other three children are also under 5. The vehicle was parked near a gas pump when someone noticed the children crying.
A witness told 911 dispatchers that the mother came out to the vehicle to give the baby a pacifier, then went back inside. The caller also described the heat outside while reporting the children’s condition. Police have not released the full 911 recording or said whether the children were examined by medics.
The case drew strong reactions from people at the station. Metzger Zuniga, a customer, called the situation dangerous and irresponsible. James Meyers, another customer, said it was troubling that children were allegedly left in the car while the adults gambled.
The Texaco sits along Mableton Parkway, a busy commercial road in south Cobb County. Police reports tied to the station have included other public safety calls this year, but officials did not connect those earlier cases to this child cruelty investigation.
Lockhart and Worthen remained the only people publicly named in the case as of May 21. Police had not released a next hearing date, custody update for the children or further details about the investigation.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.