Child neglect, in and of itself, is a horrible thing for little ones to endure, but when children are left alone, in a dangerous situation, the peril can become truly horrifying. Recently, a young woman left her one-year-old and three-year-old toddlers alone in their home with a shotgun and aggressive dogs to keep them company.
Child calls 911 to report neglect
Stories of children calling authorities to rescue themselves or others from danger are always amazing as well as heartbreaking. In this case, a little girl, barely old enough to speak in complete sentences, calls 911 to get help for herself and her baby brother.
An Oak Hill, Florida mother departed her trailer on a golf cart around 7:30 AM in the morning, stated a neighbor. According to NWF Daily News, Volusia County deputies were sent to the home of Yajaira Tirado after receiving a 911 call from her three-year-old daughter. Although the dispatcher had a difficult time understanding what the girl was trying to say, she was able to keep the child calm. For eight minutes, the child stayed on the line. When deputies arrived, they could see the girl in the window clutching the phone. Further investigation revealed a baby boy in a playpen.
Deputies: #OakHill woman left toddlers alone in trailer with dogs, shotgun, to have coffee with man. Listen to the child's 9-1-1 call herehttps://t.co/O8nDEkh0WK pic.twitter.com/hrfC4Hjie7
— Patricio G. Balona (@PBalonaNJ) January 10, 2018
An officer attempted to climb through a hole in the back door to rescue the neglected children but was deterred by a vicious dog.
After distracting the animal with food, the deputy successfully retrieved the little girl but was unable to reach the other child until the trailer park manager brought keys to allow them entry.
Mom denies child neglect and endangerment
Apparently, neglect was not the only issue in this home. Filthy conditions and the presence of one aggressive animal led to an accusation of child endangerment, as well, reports the Daily Mail.
Charges began to pile up as officers discovered the fact that there was no food in the home for the children, the trailer was covered in animal feces, the children were wearing extremely dirty diapers, and, quite possibly the most horrific, a shotgun and ammunition were within easy reach.
When Tirado was finally located at a man's house, she denied both endangerment and neglect, blatantly lying to authorities.
When her story of leaving the little girl and baby boy for only five minutes did not fly, she claimed she had checked on the toddlers at 8:50 AM and, since they were sleeping, she had gone to the other side of the trailer park to "meet Mr. Hart for coffee." Since the police had arrived around 8:00 AM, her lie was easily disproved.
She has been charged with two counts of child neglect and has been released on $5,000 bail. The children have been placed with their father.
