Nathalie Belizaire, a 29-year-old woman from North Miami Beach, Florida, was arrested on Monday morning after returning from a three-day Carnival cruise to the Bahamas, where she allegedly left her four young children home alone for several days. Customs and Border Protection officers took her into custody at PortMiami and handed her over to North Miami Beach police. She now faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
Discovery of the children
The case came to light when the father of Belizaire's two-month-old child saw a WhatsApp story on Thursday that appeared to show a cruise ticket purchase. When he asked her about it, she told him she would be dropping the children off with their great-grandmother before leaving. However, the great-grandmother later told police that Belizaire never brought the children to her.
Police said the father then went to the apartment and found the television on and could hear children's voices inside, but he could not get in touch with Belizaire. Officers and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue forced entry into the home. Body camera footage showed officers gathering the four children, including the two-month-old and a two-year-old, and leading them outside. Authorities have not disclosed the ages of the other two children.
Arrest and court proceedings
Multiple attempts by police to reach Belizaire while she was on the cruise were unsuccessful. She was arrested the moment she stepped off the ship on Monday morning. At her first court appearance, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer addressed the case directly, saying, "Who leaves a baby alone like that?" Belizaire was ordered to have no contact with the children pending further proceedings in dependency court.
Her attorney said she denies the allegations. Authorities say the children are safe and have been placed in foster care.
