A Kissimmee mother faces multiple child neglect charges after authorities said she left her four children home alone for days while traveling to Las Vegas. The arrest followed a 911 emergency call placed by one of the juveniles.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on Parkway Boulevard on Wednesday after a juvenile reported that her 9-year-old brother had been struck in the head by a falling dumbbell inside the residence. Fire rescue personnel transported the injured boy to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and subsequently discharged.
When deputies arrived at the Parkway Boulevard home, they discovered four children—ages 9, 11, 12, and 14—living without adult supervision. Investigators contacted the children’s mother, 50-летний Irene Miller, by phone. Miller informed law enforcement that she was working in Las Vegas and intended to return on Friday.
Investigators determined that Miller had departed for Nevada on October 18, leaving the children unsupervised for five days before her scheduled return. Miller told deputies that a babysitter traveled from Tampa each morning to prepare the children for school and check on them in the afternoon, though the arrangement did not include overnight supervision.
Following the discovery, authorities contacted the children’s father, who took custody of all four minors and brought them to his residence.
Detectives awaited Miller’s return at Orlando International Airport. When she landed on Friday, law enforcement officers took her into custody as she deboarded the plane. The sheriff’s office subsequently released body camera footage documenting the arrest.
Miller was booked into the Orange County Jail and charged with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children,” said Sheriff Chris Blackmon in a statement.
