Florida child calls 911 after dumbbell falls on their 9-year-old brother’s head. Then police find out where their mother really is
She was gone for nearly a week.
Leaving children alone for a few hours is one thing, but leaving them unsupervised for several days is a completely different matter. A mother from Florida found herself facing several child neglect charges after police said she left her minor children alone at home to travel.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, law enforcement received a 911 call just after 8:30 p.m. from a minor reporting that their nine-year-old brother had suffered an injury after a dumbbell fell on his head, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) on Monday. Deputies arrived at a home at 3028 Parkway Blvd. in Kissimmee, Florida, where they found four children aged nine, 11, 12, and 14 without supervision.
The youngest child was transported to a hospital where he received treatment and was later released, though the specifics of his injuries were not disclosed. Meanwhile, deputies contacted the children’s mother, 50-year-old Irene Miller, who told authorities that she was on a work trip in Las Vegas.
Florida mom gets arrested as she leaves plane
Deputies later learned that Miller traveled to Las Vegas on Oct. 18 and was scheduled to return home on Oct. 23, leaving the children five days without an adult. Miller, who is a professional photographer and was reportedly working with a client, according to the NY Post, argued that she hired a babysitter from Tampa to check on the children.
The babysitter’s responsibilities, however, did not require them to stay overnight. They were only tasked with making sure the children got to school and checking on them afterward. Deputies contacted the children’s father, and the children were released into his care in the meantime.
On Friday morning, OCSO authorities arrested Miller as she exited her flight from Las Vegas at Orlando International Airport and charged her with child neglect without great bodily harm on four counts. She was booked into Orange County Jail but was released on a $4,000 surety bond, authorities told the NY Post.
The children’s father has a restraining order against him
While attention is focused on Miller, the outlet reported that the mother filed for divorce from the children’s father, 53-year-old Mark Miller, her husband of 15 years, on Sept. 17, according to court records. However, a police report said a heated argument between the two outside the children’s school allegedly turned physical, leading to the father being charged with criminal battery, to which he pleaded not guilty, and a restraining order filed against him.
The restraining order reportedly forbids the father from being within 500 feet of Miller, and a court hearing was said to be required to decide whether he would be permitted to have contact with their four children. It remains unclear if he violated the restraining order after taking home the children following Miller’s arrest.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the first time minors have been left unsupervised at home while the parent goes on a trip, but hopefully it’s the last. The date of Miller’s next court hearing has yet to be announced, but it will take place in Osceola County.
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