Inset: Annie Rivera. Background: The area of NW 17th Street and NW 7th Avenue in Miami, Florida, where Rivera”s 6-year-old son was allegedly found walking alone (WTVJ).
In a troubling incident in Miami, a 30-year-old woman from Florida, Annie Rivera, has been taken into custody after allegedly abandoning her 6-year-old son, who was subsequently found alone on the streets. The child was discovered wandering the area, raising concerns about his safety and well-being.
Rivera faces charges of child neglect without causing great bodily harm. The situation unfolded late Wednesday night when police responded to a distress call from NW 17th Street and NW 7th Avenue. A concerned 911 caller reported spotting a young boy walking unattended, prompting law enforcement to intervene.
Upon encountering the officers, the boy reportedly explained, “Mommy dropped me off and left me,” shedding light on the gravity of the situation. In response, authorities quickly distributed a “need to identify” flyer across local law enforcement agencies to ascertain the child’s identity.
The following morning, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a representative from the Miami-Dade Public Schools contacted the police. This call was instrumental in identifying the young boy and providing crucial information about Rivera. Investigators also uncovered a prior report filed by the Department of Children and Families the previous year, highlighting concerns of inadequate supervision in the household.
Further insights emerged when officers interviewed a roommate of Rivera. She recounted that on the night of the incident, she noticed Rivera and the child were absent when she went to bed around 11:30 p.m. Later, she heard the front door open, presuming it was Rivera and her son returning. However, upon waking the next day, she found Rivera asleep, but the boy was nowhere to be found, leading her to assume he might be with his godmother.
Police detained Rivera at her apartment in the 1500 block of NW 7th Court — which is not far from where cops found the boy — and placed her into custody. She said she finished work around 8:20 p.m. and she and the boy entered a Lyft which drove them home.
Rivera said she tucked the boy into bed and later took another Lyft to meet a friend to eat before she worked another job. She returned home between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. before going to sleep. The defendant did not realize her son was gone until DCF contacted her on Thursday morning, according to the affidavit. She allegedly said she thought her roommate took her son to school.
But Rivera did not ask nor coordinate with her roommate to take the boy to school.
“The defendant took full responsibility and admitted it was her fault,” cops wrote.
Local NBC affiliate WTVJ spoke with the man who called cops after spotting the boy walking by himself.
“This is odd for him to be in an area like this,” Arnett Johnson told the TV station. “I said, ‘man, it’s a little [boy] over here, looks like he’s lost, he’s in an odd area, but you all need to come get him.’”
The outlet also interviewed Rivera’s roommate who was contacted by DCF after cops identified the boy. She said she then called the boy’s mother.
“I was like ‘hey, where’s your son? They said they found your son,’” she told WTVJ. “She said ‘I thought you took him to school this morning.’ I said ‘you didn’t ask me, I know I didn’t take him to school,’” she said.
Rivera was taken to the Miami-Dade jail where she has since posted $2,500 bond. She pleaded not guilty. Her next court date was not listed.
