A 29-year-old mother residing in North Miami Beach was arrested upon returning from a three-day cruise to the Bahamas, accused of leaving her four minor children—among them a two-month-old baby and a two-year-old child—alone in her apartment for at least 48 hours, according to local press reports.
Nathalie Belizaire boarded the Carnival Conquest on Friday, September 25, at the port of Miami, headed for the Bahamas and returned on the 28th, at which time authorities were waiting to arrest her.
He faces four charges of child neglect without causing serious bodily injury, all classified as felonies under Florida law, punishable by up to five years in prison for each charge.
How was the case discovered?
The father of the two-month-old baby, identified as Lether Bazile, saw a story on Belizaire's WhatsApp status on Thursday showing the purchase of a cruise ticket.
When asked about the children, she assured him that she would leave them in the care of their great-grandmother.
Two days later, Bazile passed by the apartment, heard children's voices, and saw the television on through the blinds with no adults in sight, and he called 911.
Firefighters and police from Miami-Dade forced entry and found the four minors —ages two months, two, seven, and nine— hidden together in the bathroom without adult supervision.
The images from the officers' body cameras show the baby being held by his older sister.
The children's great-grandmother, Denise Wilkes, confirmed to the agents that Belizaire had told her he would take the children, but he never did.
The hearing before the judge
This Tuesday, Belizaire appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer, whose reaction was one of open disbelief.
“You can't make this up. She says she went on a cruise and left her children home alone,” the judge stated.
Glazer expressed particular dismay at the age of the child: “The baby was born in July of this year. Who leaves a baby like this alone?”
When the public defender stated that her client denied the charges, the judge replied without hesitation: “She was arrested when she was getting off the cruise ship.”
Glazer set a bail of $10,000 and ordered Belizaire to stay away from the children with no direct or indirect contact, in addition to prohibiting her from owning weapons or ammunition.
The accused's version
Belizaire wiped away his tears during the hearing.
Upon being arrested, she invoked her right to remain silent and refused to make a statement.
That same night, after paying the bail and being released, he covered his face in front of the cameras and barely responded to the journalists: “Yes, it was the father”, he said, referring to who was supposedly responsible for the minors.
"We are simply grateful that nothing more happened to these children," concluded Judge Glazer.
This is not Belizaire's first altercation with the authorities: in January 2025, she was accused of aggravated assault for allegedly spraying pepper spray in the face of a neighbor.
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