Babies at casinos aren’t a typical sighting. An infant was recently discovered, however, without any caregivers at a gambling establishment. An Oklahoma mom has since been arrested on charges related to abandoning her baby at the Florida casino.
In late December 2024, Rubi Verduzco, 29, allegedly left her infant at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. She showed up shortly after police arrived. Now, Verduzo faces serious charges related to the incident.
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On Christmas Eve, the Seminole Police Department got a call from the casino.
The Seminole Police Department responded to a call at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Christmas Eve, NBC6 reported. After arriving, officers “observed an infant wearing a soiled diaper out in the open elements,” according to a probable cause affidavit. Allegedly, the child was left unattended at the bell desk.
The infant was apparently left alone for 30 minutes.
Three men left the baby at the bell desk and walked away, an employee told police. The infant reportedly was there for roughly 30 minutes before a police officer arrived. The baby’s mother showed up about 15 to 20 minutes after the police.
As the mother spoke with police, she appeared to be heavily intoxicated.
An officer observed Verduzco “displaying bloodshot, watery eyes, slurring of her speech and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath,” according to a police affidavit, per People. Although Verduzco could tell police her baby’s name, she could not recall the child’s birthday.
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The Department of Children and Families took custody of the child.
Verduzco eventually called a man who she said was the child’s father, but he claimed to be in Oklahoma and couldn’t take custody of the infant. The man later said he was in Orlando but unable to come to the casino to retrieve the baby. After police called the Florida Department of Children and Families, the agency took custody of the child.
Now, the mom faces felony charges after abandoning her baby at the Florida casino.
Ultimately, police arrested Verduzco because of “not knowing who, where or for what length of time she left her baby,” NBC6 reported. She was taken into custody on two counts of felony child neglect, according to People. Verduzco was being held at Broward County’s Main Jail on a $2,500 bond.
