A Central Florida mother is facing four child neglect charges after deputies said she left her four children home alone for days while traveling to Las Vegas for a work trip.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 from a child who reported that her 9-year-old brother had been injured when a dumbbell fell on his head. Deputies rushed to the home and found no adults present. The four children, ages 14, 12, 11 and 9, had reportedly been left unsupervised.
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First responders also arrived at the home and took the 9-year-old boy to Celebration Hospital for treatment.
Deputies said they contacted the children’s mother, identified as Irene Miller, who told them she was working in Las Vegas and was scheduled to return on Oct. 23.
According to investigators, Miller had left on Oct. 18. She had arranged for a babysitter to travel from Tampa each morning to help the children get ready for school and check on them afterward. However, the babysitter was not required to stay overnight.
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Officials contacted the children’s father, who agreed to take them to his home while detectives arranged to meet with Miller on Oct. 23. After Miller landed in Florida, she was arrested on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and booked into the Orange County Jail, according to the press release. Body camera footage of the arrest shows Miller exiting the plane as officers wait to take her into custody.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect,” Sheriff Chris Blackmon said. “These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children.”