An Illinois mom who abandoned her daughter with developmental disabilities at a Tennessee bar said she acted out of desperation after trying for years to place the teen in a group home.

Eva Cameron left her Algonquin, Ill. home last month with her 19-year-old daughter who she said has the intellectual abilities of a 3-year-old. They drove more than 500 miles to Caryville, Tenn. where Cameron sent her daughter to use the restroom at the Big Orange Bar and then promptly drove back home without her.

Cameron said she had tried for more than a decade — without any luck — to place her daughter in a group home as mounting behavior problems and medical bills made the girl’s care overwhelming.

After Cameron said a state social worker in Illinois told her to stop calling for emergency help, she opted to make the trip to Tennessee recalling that a member of her church said that the Southern state offered better services for those with disabilities.

Currently, Tennessee authorities are investigating whether or not criminal charges against Cameron are warranted while the woman’s daughter remains in state care, reports the Chicago Tribune. To read more click here.

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