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Miami Gardens Mother Charged With Child Neglect After 9-Year-Old's 911 Call Reveals Children Home Alone, Out of School
Ana Valladares, 33, was arrested after her 9-year-old son called 911 to say he was hungry, leading police to find him and his 6-year-old sister home alone with no readily available food and not enrolled in school. She faces a child neglect charge and is being held on $10,000 bond.
MIAMI GARDENS â A 33-year-old mother is facing a child neglect charge after her 9-year-old son called 911 to report he was hungry, prompting police to discover that he and his 6-year-old sister were home alone with no readily available food and were not enrolled in school, authorities said.
Ana Valladares was arrested Tuesday evening after officers responded to her home, according to a Miami Gardens police arrest report. The boy placed the call just after 5:20 p.m. and hung up after telling the dispatcher he was hungry, police said.
When officers arrived, the boy told them his mother was at work and that he hadn't eaten, according to the report. An officer who searched the residence wrote that the refrigerator contained only old rice and raw vegetables that needed to be cooked, while the freezer held a pack of frozen steaks and a pack of frozen chicken.
Police also noted that the two children sleep in the same bedroom on a single air mattress.
Valladares returned home at about 5:40 p.m. and made a statement to officers that was redacted from the publicly released report. Police said they contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families and arrested her.
As of Thursday afternoon, Valladares was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $10,000 bond.
The case highlights the precarious circumstances some families face in Miami-Dade County, where housing costs and food insecurity strain households. It also raises questions about access to school enrollment and social services for children who may fall through the cracks.
Authorities have not released additional details about the children's current placement or the status of the Department of Children and Families investigation.