Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Sep 30: A 29-year-old Florida woman has been arrested after allegedly leaving her four minor children, including a two-month-old infant, alone at home while she went on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas, police said.
Nathalie Belizaire of North Miami Beach faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. Her attorney has denied the allegations.
According to North Miami Beach police, the father of Belizaire's two-month-old child saw a post on her WhatsApp story on Thursday that appeared to show a cruise ticket purchase. When he spoke to her, she allegedly said she would drop the children off with their great-grandmother.
However, when the man went to Belizaire's apartment on Saturday night, he saw the television on through the blinds and heard children inside. He then called 911, according to the arrest report.
Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded and forced entry into the apartment. Officers found all four children inside without adult supervision, with the children hiding together in a bathroom, police said.
Body-camera footage showed officers gathering the children and taking them outside.
The children's great-grandmother told police that Belizaire had said she would bring the children to her because she was going out of town, but never brought them over. Belizaire's brother also told investigators that she texted him around 8pm Saturday asking him to check on the children.
Police said several attempts to contact Belizaire were unsuccessful.
Investigators subsequently found that Belizaire had purchased a three-day ticket aboard Carnival Conquest, with the cruise scheduled to sail for the Bahamas on September 25.
The arrest report alleges that she left all four children, including the infant and a two-year-old, inside the residence without adult supervision while she travelled aboard the cruise ship.
Authorities waited for Belizaire when she returned to PortMiami on Monday. She was taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection and later handed over to North Miami Beach police.
Belizaire declined to give a statement and invoked her right to remain silent, authorities said.
The arrest report said investigators found sufficient probable cause to allege that she failed to provide necessary care and supervision, exposing the children to a substantial risk of harm.
Belizaire appeared in bond court on Tuesday, where her bond was set at $10,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the children.
Judge Mindy Glazer expressed concern during the hearing over the circumstances of the case, noting that the four children had allegedly been left alone for three days.
Authorities said the children were safe and had been placed in foster care.