DALLAS (AP) - A Dallas mother whose three starving children were found shut inside a hotel bathroom will soon find out if her case will go before a grand jury.

Thirty-year-old Abneris Santiago is scheduled to appear at an examining trial Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether probable cause exists to send the case to a grand jury. An examining trial in Texas is held only when demanded by the defendant.

Police and a relative found Santiago's three children shut inside a hotel bathroom last month. The children were emaciated and filthy and required hospitalization for 10 days. They and their 1-year-old half sister, who was found healthy, were placed together in foster care.

The mother's boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, faces charges of aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse.

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