A Florida mom went on a five-day work trip to Las Vegas and left her four kids at home. Police found out when one of them called 911.
Irene Miller, 50, is a professional photographer from Kissimmee. She flew to Vegas on October 18 and, according to investigators, wasn’t planning to be back for five days. Her kids, aged 14, 12, 11 and nine, stayed at home.
On Friday, October 23, just after 8:30pm, one of the children called 911 to say her brother had been hurt. The nine-year-old had allegedly been hit in the head by a falling dumbbell.
When first responders got to the home, they found the four kids on their own, with no adult around. The injured boy was rushed to Celebration Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
What the mom told deputies
Deputies managed to reach Miller by phone after the accident. Judging by her social media, she had gone to Las Vegas to work with a client connected to the real estate franchise Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Kim Montes said Miller told deputies she would be back in Florida two days later. According to Montes, Miller insisted she hadn’t left the kids completely on their own. She said a babysitter was driving in from Tampa every day.
“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, but she did not require her to stay the night,” Montes said.
In the meantime, police got in touch with the children’s father, who took all four kids back to his place.
Handcuffed after landing
Deputies were waiting for Miller when her flight landed at Orlando International Airport. Bodycam footage shows her being escorted away and put in handcuffs. She was booked into the Orange County Jail and charged with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon made it clear his office takes cases like this seriously.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect,” he said in a statement. “These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children.”
In Florida, child neglect without great bodily harm is a third-degree felony. That can mean up to five years in prison for each count.
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