Mother arrested after leaving 4 kids home alone for 5 days

A 50-year-old Florida mother was arrested upon landing in Kissimmee after officials said she left four young children home alone for five days while she worked in Las Vegas.

Miller left the state on Oct. 18. She told deputies she had hired a babysitter from Tampa to help the children with school mornings and check on them during the day. The arrangement did not require the sitter to stay overnight. Miller planned to return on Oct. 23.

On Oct. 21, shortly after 8:30 p.m., one of the children called 911 to report that a dumbbell had fallen on her 9-year-old brother’s head. Deputies responded to the Kissimmee home and found four children, ages 9, 11, 12, and 14, with no adults present. Fire rescue crews transported the injured boy to Celebration Hospital, where he was treated and discharged.

Authorities reached Miller by phone while she was still in Las Vegas. The children’s father agreed to take the four kids to his home. Deputies waited for Miller’s flight to arrive on Friday morning. Body camera video shows officers approaching her as she exited the plane, escorting her through the terminal, and placing her in handcuffs.

Miller was booked into the Orange County Jail on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. He stated that these cases will be investigated and charges will be brought against parents who are not properly supervising their children.