PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Five undocumented migrants from Guatemala face child neglect charges after a 1-year-old boy was found wandering in the middle of the street, Port St. Lucie police said.
Police said they responded to the 800 block of Southwest Darwin Boulevard on Friday at about 2:20 p.m., after calls about a toddler walking walking in the middle of the roadway.
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Detectives said they don't know how long the child was wandering the neighborhood alone, but were able to locate the child's home in the 500 block of Southwest Sara Boulevard.
Upon arrival at the home, police said they met with Ofelia Chavez, 20, her partner, Emerson Edilberto, 21, and his brother, Estiven Hidalgo, 24. A 4-month-old girl was also inside the home.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Chavez was in a bedroom feeding the 4-month-old girl while Edilberto and Hidalgo were in another room supposedly watching the 1-year-old boy. According to investigators, the boy was able to get out of the home through a rear sliding glass door that was left open, while one of the adults grilled on the back porch.
Police said they discovered that there was no electricity in the home, there was rotting food in the refrigerator and freezer, and there was no proper bedding or furniture for the children. It appeared that the children slept on mattresses on the floor.
Police said their visit to the home led to the discovery of a 7-year-old boy and two more adults who lived at the residence.
According to detectives, while they were conducting their investigation, the 7-year-old was dropped off to the home by a neighbor. The neighbor explained that they transported the child to and from school.
Just after the 7-year-old boy came home, Edwin Carbajal, 26, and Dais Hernandez, 23, came to the home.
All three children were taken to a local hospital, some with signs of dehydration and lethargy, police said, and none of the children showed any signs of physical abuse. They are currently in the care of Department of Children and Families, police said. It appears that all three children were born within the United States, when the adults initially migrated to Arizona, police said.
Due to the 1-year-old boy being able to wander the streets unknown to the three adults in the residence at the time the child wandered off, coupled with the unhealthy conditions of the residence,
Chavez, Ediberto, Hidalgo and Carbajal and Hernandez each face child neglect charges due to the 1-year-old boy found wandering in the street and the unhealthy conditions of the home the children were living in.
They are all being held at the St. Lucie County Jail without bond on a hold for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
