Authorities in Texas say a babysitter who shirked her duties last week was spotted on surveillance footage leaving the 2-year-old in her care on an ostensible stranger’s doorstep.

According to People, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a resident’s call on Wednesday night and viewed the disturbing video.

As the footage shows, a figure who appears to be a woman is seen dragging a child to the doorstep, leaving two bags, and ringing the doorbell. Fortunately, the homeowner was inside and found the child apparently unharmed.

Before putting the pieces together, investigators shared relevant footage — including the white car in which the suspect fled the scene — with the public in hopes of receiving tips.

Detectives soon learned that Willie Simmons, the toddler’s father, was a neighbor of the resident who made the report.

The elder Simmons expressed outrage that young Royal would be dropped off without some assurance that he would be OK.

“What if my neighbor wasn’t there?” he asked KTRK reporters. “If my neighbor wasn’t there, my son would have been roaming up and down the street.”

Prior to the announcement that a suspect had been identified, many social media users theorized that the woman was the child’s mother.

A woman identified as the child’s mother also spoke to KTRK, calling the situation “a big misunderstanding.”

Authorities say the woman seen in the video could face a criminal count of child abandonment, though no charges had been filed as of the latest updates available.

[Featured image: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office]