MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) – A Miami Beach couple has been arrested on child neglect charges after police found their five children living in unsanitary conditions and left unsupervised. Among them was a 6-year-old child who was found crossing a busy street alone on New Year’s Eve, police said.
Miami Beach Police responded to a report of an unsupervised child along the 700 block of 15th Street on Tuesday around 3 p.m.
Investigators said the child was spotted running in a high-traffic area and led officers to an apartment at 721 15th Avenue.
Police found four additional children under the age of 12 inside the apartment, which had no electricity, food or toilet access, according to the arrest report.
The children were dirty and hungry and told officers they hadn’t eaten since last night and often went to bed hungry during school breaks, the report said.
The eldest son, 12, said he was responsible for caring for his siblings while their parents were at work, according to the arrest report. According to the report, she said she survived on occasional meals and that her father often told her, “You eat at school, so don’t eat at home.”
The report said the apartment lacked basic necessities such as toilet paper, clean clothing and functional utilities. According to reports, officers found the toilet filled with stagnant water and feces, and dirty rags strewn on the bathroom floor.
The parents, identified as 40-year-old Sanel Kanovic and 33-year-old Azra Nikočević, were arrested on felony child abandonment charges.
The children were taken into protective custody while authorities investigated.
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