A 50-year-old Kissimmee mother was arrested Friday upon landing at Orlando International Airport after authorities say she left her four children home alone while traveling to Las Vegas for work.
Deputies charged Irene Miller with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm following a 911 call reporting a child injury at the family’s home. The incident prompted an investigation by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, which confirmed the children were unsupervised during the mother’s absence.
Deputies respond to unsupervised children after 911 call
On Oct. 21 at approximately 8:30 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a Kissimmee residence after a child called 911 to report that a 9-year-old boy had been struck by a falling dumbbell. Upon arrival, first responders found no adults present and transported the injured child to Celebration Hospital for treatment. The boy was later discharged.
Investigators later determined that Miller had left for Las Vegas on Oct. 18 and was scheduled to return Oct. 23. A deputy contacted her by phone, and she stated she was working during the trip. Authorities also learned she had arranged for a babysitter to assist the children with morning routines and check-ins, but the sitter was not required to stay overnight.
Father takes custody; mother arrested at airport
The children’s father was contacted and agreed to take all four children to his home while detectives prepared to meet Miller upon her arrival. Deputies arrested Miller as she exited her flight at Orlando International Airport on Oct. 25. She was booked into the Orange County Jail.
Miller faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. The case remains under investigation.
Background: Supervision arrangements and timeline
- Miller departed for Las Vegas on Oct. 18.
- A babysitter from Tampa was scheduled to assist the children with school preparation and afternoon check-ins but did not stay overnight.
- The 9-year-old child injured by the dumbbell was treated and released from the hospital.
- Miller was arrested upon landing in Orlando on Oct. 25.