Erin Lee Macke

Police say Erin Lee Macke left a gun on her bedroom shelf and her four young children to fend for themselves, and jetted off last week for an 11-day vacation in Europe - cut somewhat short by the mother's arrest Thursday on child endangerment charges.

An Iowa mother who left her four young children alone to go on an 11-day European trip was jailed on child endangerment charges, authorities said on Friday.

Police say Erin Lee Macke left a gun on her bedroom shelf and her four young children to fend for themselves, and jetted off last week for an 11-day vacation in Europe - cut somewhat short by the mother's arrest Thursday on child endangerment charges.

An Iowa mother who left her four young children alone to go on an 11-day European trip was jailed on child endangerment charges, authorities said on Friday.