The mother of a six-year-old boy who was found wandering alone in the middle of the night on a street in Miami was arrested and brought before a judge, in a case that has raised concerns about the lack of supervision and the delay in reporting the child's disappearance.
The woman, identified as Annie Rivera and 30 years old, is facing a charge of child neglect without causing bodily harm.
Anni -whose country of origin has not been disclosed- was arrested on Thursday and appeared this Friday before a court in Miami-Dade County, where she broke down in tears during the bail hearing.
I didn't know your son wasn't home
According to the investigation, the most alarming factor for the authorities was that the mother had not reported the child's disappearance, even though he had been out of the house for hours.
"Since 11 at night, this child had been missing and they had not reported him as missing. We had to go to her house to tell her he was lost," said Mike Vega, spokesperson for the Miami Police, in statements reported by the local press.
The woman was found around 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, more than 12 hours after the minor was located.
According to the police, the woman claimed to have no idea that her son was not at home. However, in order to contact her, the officers had to reconstruct the identity of the minor based on a flyer circulated in the media.
It was the child's school that helped locate the mother.
"We thank the press for publishing this photo; we identified him through the school that called us and provided information about who the child was. We obtained the name and address of the mother and waited outside the house until we had a search warrant,” explained the police spokesperson.
A discovery that could have ended in tragedy
The case came to light after the minor was found around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, walking alone in the area of Northwest 7th Avenue and 17th Street, in Allapattah.
It was a homeless man who saw him and decided to intervene, alarmed by the child's vulnerability at that hour.
“I’m looking around for a parent, but I look and don’t see anyone. Do you understand? Then I think, what is this child doing out here at this time of night?” Arnett Johnson said in statements collected by Local 10.
The man, who has been living on the streets for months, claimed that he acted on instinct.
"God sent me there. I had to do what God told me to do," he said.
After finding him, she took him to a nearby store and called the police, staying with the minor until the authorities arrived.
A vulnerable minor without initial identification
The child, whose name has not been disclosed, shows speech delay and could be on the autism spectrum, which complicated his initial identification.
According to the investigators, amidst efforts to understand what happened, the child reportedly said: "Mommy left me here and went away."
For several hours, authorities were unable to locate his family or received any missing person reports that matched his description.
Currently, the minor is under the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, and according to the police, is in good health.
The case has raised alarms due to the extreme risk the child was exposed to for hours on the street, in an area where, as the rescuer himself warned, there is danger at all times.
What could have ended in tragedy had a different outcome thanks to the intervention of a stranger. However, the investigation remains open to fully clarify how the incident occurred and determine responsibilities.
Rivera faces a charge of child neglect without causing bodily harm, classified as a third-degree felony under Florida Statute 827.03, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
He was imposed a bond of $2,500, which he has already paid, but once released, he will have restricted and supervised access to the minor.
Authorities indicated that it is very likely that Rivera will lose custody of the child.
The case also revealed that there was a previous record of possible negligence against Rivera, as authorities noted during the hearing this Friday.
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