A North Miami Beach mother was arrested Monday, Sept. 28, at PortMiami. Police say she left her four young children alone in her apartment while she went on a three-day Carnival cruise to the Bahamas. Nathalie Belizaire, 29, faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, one for each child. The children include a 2-month-old infant and a 2-year-old.
How police found the children
The account below comes from a North Miami Beach police arrest report, as reported by NBC 6. On Thursday, Sept. 24, the father of the 2-month-old saw a post on Belizaire's WhatsApp story that appeared to show a cruise ticket purchase. When he talked to her that day, she said she would leave the children with their great-grandmother.
He went to her apartment on Saturday night, Sept. 26. Through the blinds he could see the TV on, and he could hear the children talking inside, so he called 911. Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue forced their way into the home. They found all four children with no adult present, hiding together in the bathroom, according to police.
The children's great-grandmother told investigators that Belizaire had said she would drop the children off before leaving town but never brought them. Police also said Belizaire texted her brother around 8 p.m. Saturday and asked him to check on the children. Officers tried several times to reach her and could not.
Arrest at PortMiami
Investigators found that Belizaire had bought a three-day Bahamas ticket on the Carnival Conquest, which sailed Sept. 25. Cruise Fever reported that the ship returned to PortMiami Monday morning and North Miami Beach officers were waiting when it docked.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection took her into custody when she got off the ship and then handed her over to North Miami Beach police. Authorities said she declined to give a statement and invoked her right to remain silent.
In the arrest report, police wrote that the evidence showed she failed to give the children necessary care and supervision, "thereby exposing them to a substantial risk of harm."
What the charges mean
The charge falls under Florida Statute 827.03. Each count is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charges are accusations. Belizaire has not been convicted, and prosecutors have not yet announced a formal filing decision.
What's still unknown
- Bond outcome: Belizaire was expected in bond court Tuesday. No result had been reported when this story was published.
- The children: Police have not said where the children are now, whether any needed medical care, or whether the Florida Department of Children and Families is involved.
- Other details: The arrest report did not give the ages of the other two children. It is also unclear exactly when she left them alone. No attorney for Belizaire has commented publicly.
