Miami, FL: Officers detained and charged a mother, with child neglect after finding her 3-year-old daughter walking around barefoot and her 1-month-old son in bad health at home.
The woman is identified as Shelby Jung and was taken into custody. Her 1-month-old son was found in a severely malnourished state.
The older kid was seen by himself or herself near Northwest 17th Avenue and 81st Street around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Miami police couldn’t find the parents, but they were able to get in touch with Jung’s boyfriend, Ron Smith, who was watching the kids.
Smith told the police that Jung had gone to the store to get diapers. Someone caught Jung riding a bike back around 6:30 p.m.
Police went to the house and found it in “decrepit conditions,” meaning it was missing basic services like water and electricity. There was a one-month-old boy inside, sleeping on a blanket on the floor. He was hungry and had a bad diaper rash and a big rash on his chin. Because of the children’s situation and where they were, the cops stepped in right away.
Jung told the police that her boyfriend had taken care of her kids while she went to the store, but there was proof that she had not. The police said Jung “failed to provide and protect the victims with care, supervision, and the services necessary to maintain the victims’ physical and mental health.”
The mother, who is 32 years old, is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She is being charged with two counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, and her bond has been set at $500 for each count.
