Mother booked after leaving four children unsupervised for five days

Irene Miller, 50, was placed in custody Friday morning as she exited a plane in Florida. Osceola County deputies handcuffed the mother after she returned from a work trip to Las Vegas. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.

The arrest followed a 911 call placed by one of Miller’s children on Wednesday evening. The child reported that a dumbbell had fallen on the head of her nine-year-old brother. Deputies arrived at the family home in Kissimmee shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 and found four children, ages 9, 11, 12, and 14, with no adults present.

Fire rescue personnel transported the injured boy to Celebration Hospital, where he was treated and discharged. A deputy reached Miller by phone while she was still in Las Vegas. She stated she was working in the city and planned to return to Florida on Oct. 23. Deputies determined she had left the state on Oct. 18, leaving the children unsupervised for five days.

Miller explained to investigators that she had hired a babysitter from Tampa to help the children prepare for school in the mornings and check on them later in the day. The sitter was not required to stay overnight. Authorities contacted the children’s father, who agreed to take all four children to his home while detectives waited for Miller’s arrival.

Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. He noted that cases are investigated and charges are brought against parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children.