A Connecticut mother has landed in hot water after she allegedly left her children alone all weekend while she flew to Florida to spend the time with her boyfriend. Police claim the incident happened in November 2021, when Kerry Lyn Caviasca chose to leave her two kids, both younger than 12, alone with only candy, snacks, and UberEats deliveries to survive.
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Police were first alerted to the situation after Caviasca’s ex-husband went to the Watertown Police Department in December 2021.
It was then that he told authorities that his ex-wife, who had primary custody of their children, might have left them home alone, according to the New York Post.
The man, who was not named, told police that his children missed school November 22 (a Monday) and it had been impossible to get in touch with them on the weekend preceding it. He said he sent his father to their house to check on them, but he wasn’t able to reach them.
The dad later asked his children if they’d been left home alone, but they told him no.
He told police he didn’t believe them. The Hartford Courant reported the dad believed his kids, 9 and 11 years old, were just trying to protect their mother. He also informed police that he had access to one of his kids' phones and he'd found text conversations that appeared to confirm his suspicions.
"Hi mom," wrote one of his kids that Sunday night. "What are we going to have for dinner?"
"Just eat candy," Caviasca replied. "I’m sorry … whatever is downstairs … there’s so much downstairs … I’ll make it up to you."
A later message showed Caviasca asking one of her children to delete the messaging app from their phone and reinstall it.
She then checked to make sure that all the old messages were deleted, according to the New York Post.
Caviasca’s ex-husband told police he had an emergency temporary custody order from Family Court for one of his children but asked that they accompany him to his ex-wife’s home, which they agreed to do, the Hartford Courant reported.
At Caviasca’s house, they asked the mom if she’d left her children alone. The mom admitted to visiting her boyfriend that weekend but said she’d left her kids with her brother while she was gone.
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When police pushed her and pointed out that her kids’ grandfather had been around and was unable to reach them, Caviasca finally admitted that she'd left her children home alone.
In the days that followed, police interviewed Caviasca’s children and learned that their mom told them to stay in the basement that weekend and not go upstairs. She also left the kids with snacks and the kids ordered UberEats several times for meals. They also confessed they didn’t go to school that Monday, according to the New York Post.
Her brother told police that he didn’t remember what happened that weekend and "did not wish to be involved," according to Hartford Courant. Police checked the brother’s work schedule and learned that he was working at his job as a US Postal Service employee all weekend.
Caviasca was arrested January 15.
She was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of reckless endangerment in the second degree, according to the New York Post. She was released on a $5,000 bond but is expected back in court on January 25.
Waterbury Public Schools, where Caviasca worked as a teacher, told NBC Connecticut that the mom has been placed on leave.
"Waterbury Public Schools has been informed of a pending allegation regarding a Waterbury Public School staff member," a statement from the school district read. “The alleged actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation."
It's unclear if Caviasca has retained a lawyer as of this reporting.
Caviasca's legal troubles have only been mounting since.
In February 2022, she was arrested on totally separate charges — breach of peace, harassment and attempt to commit larceny. According to a local Fox affiliate, she allegedly went to her ex-boyfriend's home to demand money she claimed he owed her, ending in a domestic dispute after she got into his SUV.
Her fate still seems to be up in the air, but we do know that the Board of Education voted to remove her from her teaching position in the spring of 2022 after the Waterbury School District conducted its own investigation.
