A 3-year-old girl and her older brother were allegedly left unattended at a motel in Florida on Sunday. The 3-year-old girl reportedly fell in the pool and nearly drowned, but was rescued by a bystander, reported Miami Herald. Neither of the children were wearing flotation devices. The incident was captured by security cameras at the resort motel. The mother, 28-year-old Yavelin Fernandez, was later found by authorities and was reportedly intoxicated.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even for children ages 5 to 14, it is the second cause of unintentional death after car accidents.
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Video footage from the resort showed the children alone by the pool.
Authorities said security video footage from Gilbert’s Resort in Key Largo captured the 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy by the pool unsupervised with no flotation devices, reported Miami Herald. Another guest staying at Gilbert’s reportedly rescued the girl from the pool. According to deputies who reviewed the security footage, she appeared to be drowning.
According to an arrest report, the 3-year-old had “red skin, red, watery eyes and was coughing up water,” once she was retrieved from the pool, reported Local 10.
The mother was found elsewhere on the property and was reportedly intoxicated.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Adam Linhardt said, “Fernandez was belligerent and yelling at deputies.” The guests and staff at the resort reportedly had difficulty finding Fernandez, but she was later found onsite around 6 p.m., and looked to be intoxicated, Miami Herald reported.
An arrest report stated that Fernandez was “was cursing and yelling racial remarks at law enforcement on scene,” per Local 10.
The mother is in jail with no bail.
Thankfully, both the 3-year-old and 5-year-old are doing well after the incident. Fernandez was arrested on one count of child neglect in the second degree on Sunday, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office record showed, per KIRO 7. She is expected to appear in court on May 2, the news outlet reported.
Fernandez was still in Monroe County Jail on Monday, reportedly with no bond information or legal counsel, per Miami Herald.
Readers were appalled at the mother's neglectful behavior.
WSBTV shared the news story on Facebook and readers were horrified by this mother’s actions.
“Poor excuse for a mom,” wrote one Facebook user.
Another user commented: “Throw her in prison for life she deserves no less endangering two young lives. What a horrible example of a mother.”
“Shame shame shame,” someone else wrote.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
