Boy Taken For Being Left Alone {opinions}

I know I spent a TON of time outside. And alot of those times outside were all at one time, hours at a time outside, just playing and being outside with friends. During the summer months we were outside from the time breakfast was done till well after dark, no cell phones or tablets, just the lights of the street to keep us going. Those months when we were in school I would head outside before I even went home to check in. I would pass my friends house on the way home and stop with them before heading home, then it was snack and back outside. Everyday! Hours!

So I read this story on PopSugar Moms, about these parents, here in Florida, that left their son outside while they were on their way home. "Stuck in traffic," the article says. All those hours I spent outside growing up my mom was always home. I don't recall ever a time when someone was not home or I was locked out. While things have changed since I was younger and now kids can't safely play outside anywhere it seems, I don't think sending these kids into foster care and parents to jail was the right thing to do. From the stories I have read the parents now have to take parenting classes and will face criminal charges. These charges will follow these parents for the rest of their lives, for jobs, for housing, loans, etc. They will always follow them and it can cause future problems for giving themselves, and their children, a stable environment. I can't say for sure if any of those issues will come up but there are is always the possibility. 

I guess there are tons of opinions on this story....why would they leave their child with no access to home, why wouldn't they account for time, why wouldn't they contact a friend, neighbor etc., the child was aware and fine playing in his yard, it wasn't like he was out unattended and running the streets. There could be a whole long history of leaving their son outside, no one really knows, and probably won't.
While I think if I was running late I would probably contact someone near by, a neighbor or family member, and have them just keep an eye out. But no one can say for sure how they would deal with things until they are in the moment.
The law states A person who willfully or by culpable negligence neglects a child without causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement to a child commits a felony of the third degree.

What I guess I don't understand is why didn't this "neighbor" just walk over and ask the kids about the lack of parents, or if they had a way to just contact the parents, instead of calling the police?