Florida police arrested a mother after she allegedly left her four children, ages 9, 11, 12 and 14, home alone while traveling to Las Vegas for work.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A 50-year-old mother is facing child neglect charges after authorities said she left her four children unsupervised at their Kissimmee home for several days while she worked in Las Vegas.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detailed the case in a Facebook post and released video showing deputies meeting Irene Miller as she stepped off a flight, then taking her into custody.
According to the sheriff’s office, one of Miller’s daughters called 911 at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, to report that her 9-year-old brother had been hurt when a dumbbell fell on his head.
When deputies arrived, they found no adults inside the home. The four children — ages 9, 11, 12 and 14 — had reportedly been left without adult supervision.
Emergency responders took the injured 9-year-old boy to a hospital for treatment.
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The deputy who responded to the home contacted Miller by phone. Investigators said she told the deputy she was working in Las Vegas and planned to return on Friday, Oct. 23.
Deputies determined that Miller had left for Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 18. The sheriff’s office said Miller told investigators that a babysitter traveled from Tampa to the family’s home in the mornings to prepare the children for school and check on them afterward. However, Miller allegedly acknowledged that the babysitter was not required to stay overnight.
The sheriff’s office then contacted the children’s father, who agreed to bring the children to his home.
Detectives arranged to meet Miller when her flight from Las Vegas landed on Oct. 23. They escorted her from the plane and questioned her in an airport interview room. Afterward, Miller was arrested on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and led from the airport in handcuffs.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children,” Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon said in a statement.