It’s hard being a mom with little to no support. Life is expensive, good child care is hard to come by, and there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. But despite those challenges, it’s still really important to make sure your child is safe. Annie Rivera, a mom in Miami, is learning the hard way what could happen if safety isn’t prioritized. Her young son went missing in the middle of the night, and she had no idea.
Apparently, her not keeping track of her child isn’t something new. But this time, the boy got out, and if it wasn’t for a homeless man sleeping on the street, something bad could have happened.
The boy was found by a good Samaritan.
Around 11 p.m. on April 8, 2026, the 6-year-old boy, who has not been identified by name, was found in the Allapattah neighborhood, Local 10 reported.
“This was a good Samaritan that was sleeping in the streets, and he called us and gave us that information. You know, kudos to him. We don’t know what would have happened if he would have remained on the streets,” Miami police Officer Mike Vega told the outlet.
The man who found him was identified as Arnett Johnson, WTVJ reported. He allegedly tried to talk to the boy but couldn’t get him to say anything.
“This is odd for him to be in an area like this,” Johnson told WTVJ. He immediately called 911. “I said, ‘man, it’s a little (boy) over here, looks like he’s lost, he’s in an odd area, but you all need to come get him,’” he explained.
“Somebody has to love that kid. He was just standing there looking, and I happened to walk by and do the right thing and call the police,” Johnson told CBS News.
It took time for police to identify the boy.
According to an arrest report viewed by the Miami Herald, the boy told police, “Mommy drop me off and left me.” Police said he has a speech delay, which made getting information from him difficult.
They put out a flyer with the boy’s picture on it, asking the community for help finding his parents.
Around 10:30 a.m. the following morning, a Miami-Dade County Schools police officer recognized the boy and said they knew Rivera. As authorities searched for her, they found a 2025 case with the Department of Children and Families with “inadequate supervision” allegations, per the Herald.
When police found Rivera, she was unaware her young son was missing. She said she put him to bed around 8:30 p.m. and then was in and out, meeting a friend and working. When she got back home between 3 and 4 a.m., she didn’t check to see if the boy was still sleeping.
However, when she was arrested, she “took full responsibility and admitted it was her fault.” She was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm.
Rivera is allegedly trying her best to be a good mom.
The woman who Rivera and her son were staying with, who only wanted to be referred to by her first name, Stephanie, spoke out about the incident.
“I was shocked because that’s never happened,” she told WTVJ. “I feel bad because that’s his mom and he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
She said she saw Rivera asleep but didn’t see her son. She just assumed the boy was with his godmother. The woman didn’t know anything was wrong until police called her, prompting her to call Rivera.
“I was like ‘hey, where’s your son? They said they found your son.’ She said ‘I thought you took him to school this morning.’ I said ‘you didn’t ask me, I know I didn’t take him to school,’” she said.
Stephanie doesn’t know the details of what happened, but she believes that Rivera is someone who just needs help. “She does what a mom needs to do for her kid and she tries her best to be the best mom.”
The mom was emotional when she appeared in court.
Rivera appeared in court on April 10, CBS News reported. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer asked the weeping mother if she knew where her son was at that moment. “He’s with DCF. I saw that on the county calendar yesterday,” she replied.
The judge ordered that Rivera have no unsupervised contact with her son; she must be supervised and “can not be violent or threatening in any manner whatsoever.” Additionally, the judge ordered her not to “engage in any criminal activity,” “possess any drugs,” or “use or purchase a firearm or weapon or ammunition,” per CBS News. She was ordered to turn in any firearms or concealed weapons she may have.
“Right now, you have got to get it together,” Glazer warned. “There was inadequate supervision, and there is probable cause, and there are services for you, and you are likely to use them.” The judge set bond for Rivera at $2,500.
