MENTOR, Ohio — A 3-year-old girl was found alone in a Mentor hotel parking lot early Thursday morning in freezing temperatures, prompting a multi-agency search that led to the discovery of her older sister — who was also outside — and the arrest of their mother, police said.
According to a release from the city of Mentor, police officers responded around 12:25 a.m. to the Extended Stay America hotel at 5650 Emerald Court after a resident reported finding the toddler outside and bringing her indoors for safety. The child was wearing only a sweater in 8-degree weather with winds of about 10 mph, police said.
Officers placed the girl in a warmed patrol vehicle and, with help from hotel residents, determined she was staying at the hotel with her family. Police located the family’s room and made contact with the child’s mother, Laura Beitler, 36, who told officers she had been asleep and was unaware her daughter had left the room…