A Georgia father’s story went viral earlier this week after his arrest for allegedly leaving his children alone at an Augusta McDonald’s to go to a job interview on March 22.
Many people rushed to defend the man, who was charged with deprivation of a minor. A former pro athlete even started a GoFundMe to raise money for him — raising over $78,000 as of Thursday, according to People.
But follow-up news reports indicated there’s more to the story.
Chris Louis, 24, claimed he was attending a job interview when he reportedly left his three children — ages 10, 6, and 1 — at a McDonald’s that day.
He told police he felt the McDonald’s was the safest place to leave his children for a short time while he went to an interview nearby. He said he had no car, so he walked to the interview.
But the Augusta Press reported Thursday that a police investigation indicated that Louis wasn’t at a job interview when he left the kids alone, he wasn’t nearby, and he had left the children for a lengthy period of time.
Before those details became known, reports of Louis’ arrest went viral.
The Press noted that former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown set up a GoFundMe for Louis, while social media quickly became filled with critical comments blasting the police and lamenting the state economy and the hurdles many see in supporting a family.
Answering the outrage, Richmond County Police released a report on Wednesday.
Is it inappropriate to leave a 1-year-old in public without adult supervision?
Police Captain Danny Whitehead said investigators found “inconsistencies regarding the whereabouts” of Louis while his children were alone.
According to their investigation, Louis was not attending a job interview when he left his children unattended, though they confirmed he had applied for a job near the restaurant earlier that day.
Louis’ oldest child told investigators he and the children walked to the McDonald’s location from their apartment complex. Louis left the children at McDonald’s, telling them he would come back soon as he went back to the same apartment complex.
Two witnesses who called police said the family arrived at McDonald’s at 4:30 p.m. and that the children were alone for over 90 minutes.
Police said the 10-year-old contacted her mother on social media at around 6 p.m., and the mother arrived at the McDonald’s 12 minutes later. Louis arrived back at the restaurant a few minutes after that.
The investigation concluded that Louis was not at an interview while his children were alone. He told police he had walked back to his apartment complex, a little less than a half-mile away, during that time.
A 24-year-old Augusta man was arrested for leaving his children—ages 1, 6, and 10—alone at a McDonald’s while he attended a nearby job interview. pic.twitter.com/aKoq4plLYU
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) March 31, 2025
Many people heard the initial report about this story and thought a father had had to make an unfortunate decision to leave his children for the ultimate good of his family, but it now seems that was not the case, according to the police statement.
Even if Louis had left his children alone in a public place for an interview, the situation would still be indefensible, considering he reportedly left a 1-year-old without adult supervision.
Now that the details are fully known, will we hear apologies or revisions from anyone who defended Louis? That’s unlikely.
Members of this virtuous mob scored their points and are well beyond what happened here, no doubt believing that clarifications and redactions aren’t necessary.
More importantly, will GoFundMe refund the donations in light of this new information? Gifts have slowed since follow-up stories came out Thursday, but the total Thursday evening was over $82,000.
The police report leaves us with even more questions, now that the truth is apparently known.
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