Police Say Georgia Father Who Went Viral for Leaving Children Unattended at McDonald’s Was Not at a Job Interview

After social media rallied around a young father forced to leave his children unattended to interview for a job, police are now saying his story isn’t adding up.

Chris Louis, a 24-year-old Georgia father, was arrested on March 22nd and charged with deprivation of a minor after leaving his three kids, ages 1, 6, and 10, alone at a McDonald’s for about 90 minutes. Originally, Louis claimed he was waiting for a callback from the West Bank Inn after filling out a job application. The initial reports claimed he was interviewing inside the McDonald’s. However, police say he actually interviewed at the motel but even found inconsistencies in his account of when.

Security footage showed Louis at the hotel around 1:30 p.m. but not at 4:30 p.m. when his children were left at the fast food restaurant. Two customers noticed the kids alone inside while Louis spoke on the phone allegedly saying he needed to “drop something off” before leaving. They reported the incident to police.

His 10-year-old daughter told authorities they had walked from their mother’s apartment and that their father often left them unsupervised. She also said he had a backpack meant for their mother Lissette Pichardo. Pichardo was contacted via social media and arrived at McDonald’s at 6:12 p.m. calling Louis to return.

Police concluded Louis was not at a job interview when his children were left unattended.

“Given the facts and timeline a misdemeanor charge of Deprivation of a Minor was appropriate,” said Capt. Danny Whitehead.

Former NFL star Antonio Brown launched a GoFundMe for Louis raising over $75,000 within 24 hours. However, he has stated that if the story was proven false, he would refund the money to the donors.

Spoke to his girlfriend this morning

She said he was at a job interview and that they had been homeless since November

No funds will be sent to family till story is verified.. if can’t verify story.. I will have @gofundme refund the money to everyone who has given

Blessings https://t.co/cEWG8JdqZ3

— AB (@AB84) April 2, 2025