PHOENIX -- A Mesa woman was sentenced to three months in jail after police found her two children home alone in June, with one of them in the pantry eating dog food.

The court also ordered Samantha Abernathy, 20, to serve 20 years probation.

Abernathy was charged on two felony counts of child abuse and one misdemeanor count of endangerment.

Neighbors called police when they saw two children, ages 2 and 3, wandering the apartment complex near University Drive and Gilbert Road. Their mother was nowhere to be found.

Police said one child was found in a shirt and diaper. The other child was only wearing a shirt.

Investigators said when they finally figured out which apartment the children lived in, they found the door wide open and feces all over the floor.

Police said they saw the younger child go directly to the pantry and start eating dog food.

The children have different fathers. Police said when they arrived on scene, neither knew who was supposed to be watching the children.

Abernathy showed up a short time later, police said.

During a police interview, she said she had been home with her children but left at about 2 a.m. to help an ex-boyfriend, according to officers.

Court records reveal Abernathy did not return to the apartment for nearly 9 hours, and admitted she did not try to find anyone to watch the children. She also acknowledged that her children could have easily fallen down the stairs or wandered onto Gilbert Road, officers wrote.

Abernathy worked at Centerfold Cabaret, according to court records.