HOUSTON – A mother is accused of leaving her young daughters home alone for several hours while she went out to gamble and drink, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Mary Ann Deleon, 38, was charged with abandoning a child with intent to return.

The children, ages 3 and 5, were left at the home with no food and the exterior doors locked while their mother left for 10 to 12 hours, according to the DA’s Office. The girls reportedly tried to climb out of the home’s back window where a neighbor found them and called the police.

The children were released to a relative, officials said.

When the mother was questioned, she told officers she went to a game room with friends and thought the girls’ father was coming to take care of them.

Deleon was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail. She is expected to appear in court on Wednesday at 1 p.m.