A mother in Kissimmee, Florida, Irene Miller, was arrested at the Orlando International Airport after allegedly leaving her four children home alone. The children — aged 9 to 14 — were reportedly found by deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office following a 911 call from one of the kids.
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Florida Mother Irene Miller Arrested At Airport
A 50-year-old mother of four, Irene Miller, was arrested at the Orlando International Airport on Friday, October 23, according to the Osceola News-Gazette. Deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department met Miller at the airport as she got off a plane from Las Vegas.
Miller was arrested after allegedly leaving her four kids – aged 9, 11, 12 and 14 — home alone for several nights. They were discovered by Osceola County Sheriff’s Office deputies following a 911 call originating from the home in Kissimmee. Miller was reportedly on a work trip to Las Vegas when she left the children alone. Subsequently, she was arrested upon her return and charged with child neglect.
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Authorities Alerted After One Child Called 911
According to CBS News, deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office were alerted after one of the children dialed 911 on Wednesday, October 21. A dumbbell had reportedly fallen on the 9-year-old boy’s head. Upon arrival, the deputies found the kids home alone. In addition, first responders rushed the boy to Celebration Hospital in Kissimmee. He was treated and sent home with his father.
Miller was arrested and booked on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm at the Orange County Jail, per WESH News. In a statement to ABC News, Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon noted that they would prosecute all parents not properly supervising their kids.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect,” Sheriff Blackmon wrote. “These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children.”
ABC News reports that Miller has since been released.
Babysitter Reportedly Checked On Kids
Miller reportedly did have childcare for the four children. However, the babysitter was allegedly hired only to check on the kids before and after school. Furthermore, the babysitter was not with the children overnight.
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Capt. Kim Montes said that deputies spoke with Miller on the phone while she was away, and she stated that a babysitter was on her way to pick up the kids from Tampa.
“She told deputies that she had a babysitter coming from Tampa in the mornings to get the children ready for school and to check on them after school,” said Montes. “But she did not require her to stay the night.”
After the authorities spoke with Miller in Las Vegas, they also spoke to the children’s father. Subsequently, he took the children to his home on October 21. The kids were reportedly left home alone for several days, according to WFTV Channel 9. Miller reportedly left home on Sunday, October 18, and returned on October 23.
