Three boys in protective custody after being found outside in cold weather

Three young boys are in protective custody after they were found playing near the street in chilly temperatures Sunday morning, police said.

A concerned motorist called 911 after seeing the boys - ages 3, 6, and 7 - playing on the sidewalk in the 1000 block of North Oliver, Lt. Joe Schroeder said. They had no coats on in 38 degree weather, he said.

Officers checked homes in the surrounding neighborhood and found their mother passed out in a basement in the 900 block of North Pershing, about a block away, Schroeder said. After an investigation, the children were placed in protective custody.

No arrests have been made in the case.