Mother Abandons Children Along Roadway Just Prior to Vehicle Crash

DEKALB COUNTY, Ind. - On Wednesday, October 10, a Garrett woman abandoned her three children at two different locations in DeKalb County just prior to being involved in a personal injury crash on I-69.

At approx. 12:59 pm State Police received a call of an infant being found in a car seat at the entrance to the Kruse Auction Park on C.R.#11A just east of I-69.  A few minutes later a second call was received advising two small children were found along St. Rd. #205, 1.5 mile west of St. Rd. #327. 

During roughly the same time period, DeKalb County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to a personal injury vehicle crash on I-69 S.B. near the 122 mile marker.  One of the vehicles involved in the crash matched the description given minutes before of a vehicle observed by a witness dropping off the infant at the Kruse location (a green Pontiac). 

State Police Troopers, DeKalb County Deputies and Dept. of Family and Children caseworkers recovered the three children and had them examined at DeKalb Memorial Hospital before releasing them to family members.  None of the children were injured.  The mother of all three children and driver of the vehicle in the crash was identified as:

CRYSTAL GILPAN, age 26

King Street, Garrett, Indiana

Gilpan received minor injuries as a result of the vehicle crash.  Gilpan told State Police Detective Mark Heffelfinger that she put her kids out of the car because she knew something was wrong.

Police are continuing the investigation of the bizarre incident.  Charges are pending against Gilpan with the DeKalb County Prosecutor's Office.

Source: Indiana State Police

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