*Police arrested a Florida mother after a Bahamas cruise, accusing her of leaving four young children home alone.
Nathalie Belizaire, 29, now faces four felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. Prosecutors say the children included a 2-month-old baby and a 2-year-old. Belizaire has not entered a plea, and her attorney says she denies the allegations, according to PEOPLE.
Belizaire returned to PortMiami aboard the Carnival Conquest on Sept. 28. Authorities say she left Miami for the Bahamas on the three-day trip. Police could not reach her while the ship was at sea, so officers waited for its return. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Belizaire at the port and handed her to North Miami Beach police.
The case began Sept. 26, when the baby’s father grew worried. He had noticed what looked like a cruise ticket purchase on Belizaire’s WhatsApp story. She had told him the children would stay with their great-grandmother.
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He went to the North Miami Beach apartment and heard the children talking inside. He called 911, and police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded. First responders forced their way inside and found no supervising adult. All four children were hiding together inside a bathroom.
Investigators then contacted the great-grandmother. She said Belizaire had planned to bring the children to her home but never showed up. That account differs from what Belizaire reportedly told the father. Belizaire’s brother told police she messaged him Saturday evening and asked him to check on the kids.
At her bond hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer reviewed the allegations and remarked, “You cannot make this up,” according to Local 10. The judge set bond at $10,000 and ordered Belizaire to stay away from the children. She posted bond and left jail.
The children are safe and remain in foster care. Belizaire’s arraignment is set for Nov. 24.
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