Florida mother arrested after child with autism found alone inside garage of home
By: -----
North Fort Myers, FL - A 28-year-old North Fort Myers woman has been arrested and charged with child neglect after authorities say she left her 5-year-old autistic son home alone for nearly eight hours while she went to work.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Caterina Court after concerned neighbors reported seeing a young child sitting unclothed near the roadway without supervision.
When deputies and Fire Rescue arrived, they found the child outside and discovered no adults inside the home during a welfare check. Investigators noted the residence had little furniture, minimal food, and no running water.
“This innocent child was found sitting outside alone near the roadway, completely unsupervised,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “You cannot leave a child home alone for hours and expect technology to replace responsible parenting.”
Authorities later identified the child’s mother as Yvana Miller. Detectives say she admitted to leaving the child alone while she worked an approximately eight-hour shift at an assisted living facility in Cape Coral. Miller told investigators she was monitoring the child remotely using a doorbell camera placed inside the home.
During the response captured on body camera video, a deputy is heard speaking to the child in a gentle tone, asking, “Hi. Hello. What’s your name?”
In a separate moment, an adult at the scene is heard expressing frustration about the situation, saying, “Why are you worried about your driver’s license when you should be worried about your kid?”
Officials say those interactions highlight the concern responders had for the child’s safety, given the circumstances.
Emergency medical services evaluated the child at the scene before he was turned over to a family member.
“Thanks to alert neighbors and the swift response from our deputies and detectives, this child is now safe,” Marceno said. “We will always fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
Miller was taken into custody and transported to the Lee County Jail, where she faces a charge of child neglect. The investigation remains ongoing.