Shocking Neglect: Mother Abandons Son Without Food for Weeks – Police Investigate

A mother from Florida is facing allegations of leaving her young son unattended for several weeks in their home, where he was surrounded by “aggressive” dogs and unsanitary living conditions.

Ashley Burdick, aged 41, has been charged with child neglect without causing great bodily harm, as noted in Brevard County court documents.

Following her arrest, Burdick has been released from custody.

On April 10, a deputy from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a Merritt Island residence after a concerned neighbor reported that a young boy had been left alone for around four days with several dogs and no adult supervision, according to an arrest affidavit.

The deputy also noted that the child has been diagnosed with autism.

The deputy “made contact” with the child, but the boy said “he could not answer the door due to the multiple aggressive dogs inside the residence” and instead they spoke through a bathroom window at the front of the house,” according to the charging document.

The child reportedly affirmed that he had been home alone for about four days, authorities say. He gave law enforcement officers his mother’s number, but when they tried to call her, they say the phone line went immediately to voicemail.

Deputies subsequently contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families to investigate.

When interviewed by a state investigator, the boy mentioned “physical violence being done to him” by his mother, according to the affidavit. He also said that “on one occasion he became intoxicated after drinking a juice in the refrigerator that, unknown to him at the time, contained moonshine alcohol.”

When the investigator went to the residence, “she noted that the conditions were unsafe for a child,” the charging document continues.

“She observed feces on the floor and overall unsanitary conditions,” the affidavit reads.

The child allegedly said that in the past he had been “left with no food and he did not eat for approximately two weeks,” according to the charging document. He allegedly added that “he does not feel safe” and that he is “not enrolled in any form of schooling.”

The redacted affidavit states investigators spoke with someone else who told them Burdick has given the child to her at times because Burdick needed a “break.” This witness also reportedly claimed that the defendant contacted her “and instructed her to not speak to the Department of Children and Families regarding the current situation.”

Burdick is expected to be arraigned in court on May 14.