Florida mother arrested for child neglect after refusing to return home amid son's hospitalisation
Irene Miller was detained at Orlando International Airport on child-neglect charges after police said she declined to fly back when her youngest son was hospitalized, and her four children were placed with their father.
A Florida mother, Irene Miller, 50, was arrested at Orlando International Airport on Friday on child-neglect charges, authorities said. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office reported that Miller had left her four children, ages 9, 11, 12 and 14, unattended in a Kissimmee condo while she traveled to Las Vegas for work.
Police informed Miller on Wednesday that her 9-year-old son had been taken to a hospital with a head injury after a sibling called 911. Miller told officers she was in Las Vegas and could not return home, according to Capt. Kim Montes of the sheriff’s office.
The children’s father, Mark Miller, 53, was subsequently contacted and assumed care of the children. He has been charged with criminal battery against his wife earlier this year. The family is in the process of divorce after 15 years of marriage.
The incident that led to the hospital visit occurred while the children were building a blanket fort and used a dumbbell as a support, according to an unidentified family friend. The friend described the scene as involving significant bleeding.
Following the arrest, the four children were placed in their father’s custody and are currently residing in a single-room motel. Mark Miller posted a GoFundMe campaign seeking $5,000 to support the children’s needs, stating he is working to keep them safe and together.
Miller remains in the family’s condo after filing for dissolution of marriage in Osceola County on September 17, according to court records.