A woman in Florida was charged with child neglect after she abandoned her infant in a stroller while she ventured into a casino to gamble on Christmas Eve
The incident involving one R.C.V., aged 29, and mother of an infant, was reported by police who said that the child was discovered in a stroller outside Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood.
Disoriented Mother Left Her Soiled Baby at Casino Doorstep
The infant was wearing a soiled diaper, police said, commenting on the case for WTVJ, a local media outlet and TV station. The child was not seen at first when three men brought it to the casino’s reception. Employees at the casino notified the Seminole Police Department which responded quickly and started looking for the mother.
V. appeared at the casino bell station shortly after, but it was not immediately clear if she was returning to check on her baby or had found out that her infant was looked after by staff and that the police had been summoned.
V. did not help her situation upon arrival, however, because she was reported intoxicated by the officers who responded to the scene. Police did not conduct an alcohol test, but reported that she appeared distraught, her breath smelling of alcohol, and her speech – slurred.
Matters got even worse from that point on after the mother initially failed to remember the birthdate of her child.
She was taken into custody at the Broward Country’s Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale with a bail set at $2,500 while the police were able to contact the baby’s father, who said he may not be able to pick up the infant, and that custody should be transferred over to the state.
The father gave two different accounts about his whereabouts when contacted by the police.
Infant Abandoned at Casino Under State Custody
This prompted a response from the Florida Department of Children and Families which has taken care of the infant. The police tried to find out more about the three men who left the baby at the reception but failed.
V. herself was not able to explain her relationship to the men nor how the baby ended up with them in the first place.
The woman has not remained in jail, however, as she seems to have been released later in the week. No further information about her case is available as of right now.
