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Parents Abandon Kids for Mexico Trip
21 Nov
Summary
- Nine and four-year-old sisters left alone for nine-day vacation.
- Parents charged with child abandonment and endangerment.
- Case led to stricter child abandonment laws in Illinois.
In December 1992, a disturbing discovery was made in Chicago when two young sisters, Nicole, 9, and Diana, 4, were found shivering outside their home. Their parents had left them unattended for a nine-day Christmas vacation to Acapulco, Mexico. The children were left with frozen meals and instructions, without adult supervision or emergency contact information.
The girls were found by a neighbor after reporting a fire alarm. Authorities placed them with their grandmother and later in foster care while searching for the parents, who were apprehended upon their return. The parents, David and Sharon Schoo, faced felony charges including child abandonment and cruelty.
This incident garnered significant national attention, highlighting the parents' reclusive nature and David Schoo's past legal troubles. Ultimately, the Schoo couple avoided trial through a plea deal, receiving two years of probation. The case's impact extended beyond the family, leading to a new Illinois law in 1993 that legally defined child abandonment for children under 14 left alone for 24 hours or more.
