Mom speaks out after arrest on child neglect charges in Miami Beach
MIAMI - A Miami Beach mother accused of child neglect after her five children were found living in squalid conditions said she is determined to make things right.
"I'm going to do my best to fix everything and to get them back," Azra Nikocevic, 33, told CBS News Miami Wednesday after being released from jail on her own recognizance.
Nikocevic and her husband, Sanel Canovic, 40, were arrested on New Year's Eve after police found their six-year-old son running unsupervised across 15th Street.
The child led officers to the family's apartment, where authorities discovered four other children living in dire circumstances, according to an arrest report.
Police said the apartment did not have electricity or running water and the toilet was clogged with stagnant water and feces.
Officers reported a strong odor of urine and found no food in the residence.
The eldest child, a 12-year-old girl, told police the family had been without electricity for nearly two months. She said the children often went hungry, particularly during school breaks and described instances when her parents shared a meal without providing food for the children.
Nikocevic acknowledged the family's struggles but denied her children were left to go hungry.
"They never went to bed hungry," she said. "Sometimes they wanted McDonald's or restaurant food and I didn't allow it."
The girl also said her parents occasionally left her $20 to buy food, which she used to purchase fast food for her siblings.
Asked about the conditions in the apartment, Nikocevic admitted the electricity had been off for "a month and a half" and said she planned to address the plumbing issues.
Authorities placed the children, ranging in age from 12 to 6, in protective custody.
Both Nikocevic and Canovic were charged with child neglect and released after appearing in bond court Wednesday.
Nikocevic said she was struggling to adjust to life in Miami after moving from New York. "The salary's pretty low and taking care of the kids is very hard," she said.
When asked what she wanted others to learn from her experience, Nikocevic urged parents to prioritize their children.
"Take care of your kids," she said. "I was focusing more on the job than the kids and it got to me... Just love them as much as you can."
The investigation remains ongoing.
