FLORIDA: A 29-year-old Florida woman has been arrested after authorities accused her of leaving her four young children, including a two-month-old baby, alone at home while she went on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas.
The suspect, Nathalie Belizaire of North Miami Beach, is facing four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
According to North Miami Beach police, the situation came to light after the father of Belizaire’s two-month-old child saw a WhatsApp status suggesting that she had purchased a cruise ticket.
The man contacted Belizaire, who allegedly told him that she planned to leave the children with their great-grandmother.
However, when he went to Belizaire’s apartment on Saturday night, he reportedly saw the television on through the blinds and heard children inside the home. He contacted 911, prompting police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel to respond.
Authorities forced their way into the residence and found all four children inside without adult supervision. Police said the children had gathered together and were hiding in the bathroom.
Body-camera footage reportedly showed officers taking the children out of the apartment and to safety.
The children’s great-grandmother told investigators that Belizaire had informed her that she would bring the children over because she was going out of town. However, according to police, the children were never taken to her home.
Belizaire’s brother also told investigators that she sent him a message around 8 p.m. Saturday asking him to check on the children.
Police said their investigation revealed that Belizaire had purchased a three-day cruise ticket aboard the Carnival Conquest, with the ship scheduled to sail on September 25.
According to the arrest report, she left all four children inside the residence without an adult while she travelled out of town on the cruise.
The children reportedly included a two-month-old infant and a two-year-old child.
After the investigation, authorities waited for Belizaire to return. She was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after disembarking at PortMiami on Monday and was subsequently handed over to North Miami Beach police.
Police said Belizaire declined to give a statement and exercised her right to remain silent.
Investigators said the circumstances provided probable cause to believe that the children had been left without the care and supervision required, exposing them to a substantial risk of harm.
Belizaire appeared in court on Tuesday, where her bond was set at $10,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the children.
During the hearing, Judge Mindy Glazer expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the case.
“You cannot make this up. It says she went on a cruise and left her children home alone,” the judge said, according to the report.
The judge also noted that the children had reportedly been left alone for three days and expressed relief that no more serious incident occurred.
Belizaire’s lawyer told the court that his client denied the allegations.
The judge questioned how an infant could have been left without adult supervision, noting that the baby was born in July.
Authorities said the four children are safe and have been placed in foster care while the case proceeds.
