WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Henrietta man is charged with child endangerment after his wandering 5-year-old daughter lead police to a hotel room with another daughter in bed, feces on the floor, a strong odor of urine, and an “immense” amount of ashes on countertops.

Police became involved Sunday night at a hotel on Central Freeway when a person reported a young girl with no clothes on ran up to them. They said she did not communicate and they wrapped her in a sweater, took her inside, and called the police.

According to authorities, police said they had received no reports of a missing child before this call. About 25 minutes later, police said the father of the girl, Troy Slayden, 33, called and reported his 5-year-old daughter was missing.

Police said the father told them he had his daughters in his hotel room so his ex-wife could have “Mother’s Day out”. He said both his 3-year-old and 5-year-old were non-verbal and autistic.

The father told police he had laid down with the youngest girl to get her to go to sleep and accidentally fell asleep himself. He said he woke up about an hour and a half later and the 5-year-old was gone. He left the 3-year-old alone in the room to search for his other daughter.

Police contacted the girls’ mother who came to pick them up, and police went into the room to get on the other girl who was still asleep.

Once inside, police said the room reeked of urine and feces. They said a bedspread had fecal matter smeared on it, and there was a pile of feces on the floor in front of the sink.

Police said two countertops had an “immense” amount of ash, possibly from cigarettes, and they also found a baggie of what tested to be marijuana, which they said Slayden claimed was his. Photographs of the interior were taken for the investigation.

Police arrested Slayden for endangerment, saying he put the 3-year-old at risk by leaving her in the room alone in conditions that put her at risk and leaving the 5-year-old unsupervised which led to her leaving the room and putting herself at risk.

Slayden was jailed on Monday, May 15, 2023, and released later the same day after posting his $10,000 bond.

A records check showed Slayden has previous convictions for possessing an unlawful weapon, assault of an officer, assault, possession of a controlled substance, and DWI, 2nd offense.