Mother leaves toddler at Easter egg hunt

This article is kind of short, but I felt that it was one that needed to be put out there.
On Easter Sunday a mother, her two children(ages 7 and 2), and a friend of the mother, were driving in Joplin on Minnesota Ave. when the mother grabbed her two year old daughter and jumped out of the car. It is reported by officers and witnesses that the mother walked upon an Easter egg hunt (that was being given as a family function) on the 2900 block of South Minnesota Avenue. At approximately 1:20 the mother simply lifted the small child over the fence and walked away. She was picked up a short time later by Joplin Police Officers and arrested and is being charged with first-degree child endangerment. As of Monday, she was still located in the jail with a $5,000 bond. The children's grandfather came into town from Springfield Missouri and picked up both of the children.
How can a parent do this? Matter of fact, what kind of parent can just walk away from their children with absolutely no intention of returning for them? The article stated that this woman was from Pleasant Hope, the question that comes to mind is "Did she come here with exactly that intention"? This whole thing just scrambles me, I am not sure what to think or say. I want to know why the friend did not follow her when she jumped out of a moving vehicle with one child and left the other.
I have made this statement before and I am sure that this is not going to be the last, but, what the heck is going on with people? I do not understand what would make someone do that. I am a parent and this really hits. I could never fathom the thought of walking away from my children with the intentions of never returning. I could not imagine what kind of mind set you would have to be in to be able to do this sort of thing. Ans a 5000 dollar bond! Come on! She will make that and be with her children again until she is convicted, if she is convicted. I wonder why the bail amount is so low. Normally we see these much higher. on the other hand I am not a prosecutor. yet, so until I am. I will most likely keep being confused on why they do things the way that they do them.
Anyways, the children are safe and taken care of for now. Thank god for the grandfather! The children are not in the states custody.