A 24-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of child neglect after five children — wearing nothing but soiled diapers — were found trying to cross a Florida highway, NBC News reported.

The children, aged 1 to 5, were stopped by a motorist before they tried to enter Route 19 outside Spring Hill, Florida, 40 miles north of Tampa on Tuesday morning.

Deputies were later approached by Samantha McCarthy, who said she was taking care of the children at a nearby motel. She told officials they disappeared after she fell asleep.

The children, one of whom had a "severe rash on various parts of her body," were taken to hospital for treatment. It wasn’t clear whether McCarthy had an attorney or what her relationship was to the children.

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