Nearly a dozen children in Florida were transported to two local hospitals Thursday over a possible case of neglect, officials stated.
Just before 7 a.m. May 11, Broward County law enforcement officials responded to a report of a “domestic disturbance” in a North Lauderdale home. “Caller is advising her daughter hit her. She’s requesting rescue, her mouth is bleeding,” dispatchers told police, according to WSVN News.
Upon arriving at the home, officials took the woman into custody as a Special Victims Unit and Child Protective Investigation Services investigated the situation at the home, the Sun Sentinel reported. Through their investigation, officials discovered the home housed foster children. Of the 16 children found in the home, 11 were transported to two local hospitals “as a precaution,” according to the outlet. (RELATED: School Officials Facing Charges After Allegedly Forcing 7-Year-Old Special Education Student To Eat His Own Vomit)
“They were all suffering different signs of neglect,” City Manager Mike Sargis told The Sun Sentinel.
#BREAKING: At least 10 children transported to hospital from N. Lauderdale foster home, woman investigated https://t.co/PhAAHqM9RX
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) May 11, 2023
Neighbors revealed that children as young as 3 were often seen playing outside alone, unsupervised, the outlet stated.
“I see two or three kids unattended,” the neighbor told WSVN. “One time, I was like, ‘Go inside, go inside.’”
Eduardo Hernandez, another neighbor, also recalled seeing young kids playing outside of the home, telling the outlet he had almost hit one of them with his car. “There was this one kid who ran by while the other parent just stood there watching him run by and didn’t tell him to stop and didn’t try to go get him or anything like that,” he told the outlet.
Commissioner Mario Bustamante, who also lives in the neighborhood, also recalled seeing children outside, but never thought anything of it.
“I thought it was just regular kids,” he told The Sun Sentinel. “I always thought it was something normal.”
All of the children were in stable condition by Thursday afternoon, officials stated, according to The Sun Sentinel. Detectives are still investigating the situation at the home, WSVN revealed.