Posted on 05/17/2026 7:06:30 PM PDT by Morgana
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (CBS12) — A 28-year-old North Fort Myers woman has been arrested and charged with child neglect after authorities say she left her 5-year-old autistic son home alone for nearly eight hours while she went to work.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Caterina Court after concerned neighbors reported seeing a young child sitting unclothed near the roadway without supervision.
When deputies and Fire Rescue arrived, they found the child outside and discovered no adults inside the home during a welfare check. Investigators noted the residence had little furniture, minimal food, and no running water.
“This innocent child was found sitting outside alone near the roadway, completely unsupervised,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “You cannot leave a child home alone for hours and expect technology to replace responsible parenting.”
Authorities later identified the child’s mother as Yvana Miller. Detectives say she admitted to leaving the child alone while she worked an approximately eight-hour shift at an assisted living facility in Cape Coral. Miller told investigators she was monitoring the child remotely using a doorbell camera placed inside the home.
(Excerpt) Read more at wgxa.tv ...
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Why is 'Florida' included in the headline? Because Florida's a conservative state hated by the press.
... and yet that's what happened.
That may be part of it, but the truth is that Florida has Sunshine laws, so any reporter can go down to the county sheriff’s office and find out who was arrested that day, and make a news story out if it. Most other states are not this transparent.
Ahh, yes, I remember the days when things weren’t offered online.
Sad situation
The mother was not out partying but working at a job that didn’t pay enough for child care
There are probably programs to help her but she didn’t know about them
At least she was working and trying
Balderdash.
It is easy to become overwhelmed when you are taking care of the mentally ill while working minimum wage or barely above it getting paid a dollar that is worth but a fraction of the one your parents earned, and are probably have health problems yourself. And these days with divorce and one child households for the last few decades being the norm, people do not have the family network of helpers that we did.
It is easy for people who know nothing but what the press bothers to note and nothing about what is omitted to say “balderdash.”
That said, this isn’t a 10 year old or 15 year old , it is just a 5 year old.
I can understand being afraid to leave a child with a babysitter these days and at her wages there is no way she would find an adult to babysit here in Florida, though you might find a teen, if all the teens weren’t doomscrolling 18 hrs a day.
The kid is 5 shouldn’t he be in kindergarten?
With that said I remember when teens used to babysit. I have not heard of that since the 1990’s. Since teens got jobs at the mall selling jeans making more money. Yea now they don’t work at all.
Poor woman doing her best and having to make tough choices - I hope they find a program to take care of her child so she can go to work with a clear conscience.
He is Austic
Either not cs
Capable of attending or maybe got bullied
Just a sad situation that hopefully the state can help
At least she was working and trying , not out drugging
WHERE is the father? I mean “Baby Daddy”.
Far too common these days.
AS you noted, she was working - and now
No Job
No home and likely
No child.
Her crime?
Being poor & having a child
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