A 5-year-old boy in North Miami Beach, Florida, flagged down police officers after his mother left him home alone to go to Walmart. The boy told officers she did not specify when she would return. Authorities arrested the mother the next day on child neglect charges.
On March 7, North Miami Beach Police Department officers encountered a 5-year-old boy outside without pants or shoes, wearing only a long-sleeved T-shirt. Body camera footage shows the child approaching the officers and confirming he was alone. When asked where his mother was, the boy replied that she had gone to Walmart and added, "She didn't tell me what time she would come [home]." He further stated, "Mmhmm, by myself," explaining, "because my mommy left me."
The boy pointed to his nearby home and asked for help. Officers found the front door open, through which the child had exited. Inside, they observed conditions indicating signs of hoarding, with the house described as dirty, covered in spiderwebs, and littered with rotten food residue. The refrigerator emitted an unbearable smell, according to the police affidavit.
No one responded when officers knocked. Investigators identified Britley Louis, 23, as the boy's mother. She did not answer multiple calls from police. Louis later told an agent with the Florida Department of Children and Families that a friend would pick up the child, but the friend said she was not comfortable doing so. As a result, the boy was placed in the care of the department.
The following day, March 8, officers arrested Louis as she left her home. She faces charges of child neglect and unlawful desertion of a child. After her release from jail, a court ordered her to have no contact with her son. Her next court appearance is scheduled for April 7.