A Texas couple vacationing in Florida was arrested after allegedly leaving their infant alone on a Miramar Beach for nearly an hour while they went for a walk with their other children.
Police say the parents believed it would be fine because the baby was asleep.
Brian Wilks and Sara Sommers Wilks, visiting from Texas, told authorities they thought nothing of stepping away from their tent, assuming their infant daughter would stay asleep while they took a stroll with their three older kids.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the pair returned around noon on October 10 to find police waiting beside their child.
“Mr. Wilks stated that the infant usually naps during this time and was asleep when they left the infant in the tent unattended,” the arrest report read.
Investigators said the couple walked off around 11:10 a.m. and didn’t come back until approximately 12:06 p.m.
During that period, witnesses on the beach watched them disappear down the shoreline with their other children.
The report stated that the couple admitted they “lost track of time and did not realize how long they had been gone.”
Witnesses told deputies that the family appeared relaxed as they headed off, with Wilks later explaining the older kids had “run off” and the parents decided to continue walking with them.
Concerned beachgoers noticed the baby was left alone beneath a shaded tent, with no adults in sight for what felt like an extended period.
After several minutes passed, onlookers contacted a nearby hotel security guard, who alerted the authorities.
Some good Samaritans took the baby out from under the tent and stayed with her until deputies arrived.
When the Wilkses returned to their tent, they were met by officers from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
The infant was reportedly unharmed but was examined to ensure her wellbeing.
Lock Them Up! Russiagate is reigniting…
Obama, Clinton, Comey, and Brennan are all on the hook!
CLICK HERE to demand Russiagate conspirators got to prison!
Both parents, ages 40 and 37, were arrested on charges of neglect without great bodily harm. They spent the night in jail before posting a $1,000 bond each.
Officials said the Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the couple’s four children. Relatives from Texas were later called in to assume care of them.
The sheriff’s office released a statement on social media addressing the incident and thanking those who stepped in to protect the child.
“We’re thankful for the quick-thinking beachgoer who raised the alarm and for those who stepped in to care for the child with the same kindness and concern they would show their own,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in the post.
While authorities in Florida dealt with one disturbing case of parental neglect, another unfolded hundreds of miles north in New York City.
Police there are searching for a woman caught on surveillance video walking into Penn Station with a newborn before allegedly abandoning the baby at the bottom of a staircase.
According to officials, the unidentified woman was wearing pink pants, a patterned shirt, a red headscarf, and glasses.
Security footage shows her entering the station before leaving the infant behind near the southbound 1, 2, and 3 train platforms at 34th Street–Penn Station around 9:30 a.m. Monday.
An anonymous caller phoned 911 after spotting the newborn alone at the base of the stairs.
Police and firefighters arrived quickly and found the baby in stable condition.
“I’m calling it the Miracle on 34th Street,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow during a press briefing.
“The FDNY and police department responded, they found a baby that was unattended.”
Authorities said the umbilical cord was still attached when the child was discovered, according to The New York Times.
The baby was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and remains in stable condition as investigators continue to search for the woman.
Back in Texas, a third disturbing story of child abandonment emerged. Police in Copperas Cove arrested two adults after a 12-year-old boy came home from school to find his family had moved out without him.
Officers identified the suspects as Keven Dwayne Adams and Erica Renee Sanders.
The pair were taken into custody after responding to a call about the boy, who reportedly showed a neighbor his empty apartment.
Police records obtained by local outlet KWKT revealed that the child told officers his mother and her boyfriend had spoken about moving but never mentioned leaving him behind.
Investigators contacted both adults by phone. According to an affidavit, the couple claimed the boy’s uncle was supposed to pick him up, but they could not provide contact information for him.
When police reached the uncle, he said he had no knowledge of any such arrangement.
Authorities said Adams “complained at length” about the boy during questioning.
Child Protective Services later contacted the pair to obtain a current address, but they allegedly refused to give one.
A neighbor told police that Adams and Sanders had previously kicked the child out of the home.
Both Adams and Sanders now face charges of abandoning or endangering a child without intent to return.
The boy was placed under the care of relatives while the case remains under investigation.
