Parents face charges after 5 children found living in "squalid conditions" in Miami Beach
MIAMI - Two parents face child neglect charges after their five children were found living in "squalid conditions," according to Miami Beach police.
It all started when police received a call about a small child seen crossing a busy Miami Beach street unsupervised.
Responding officers said a passerby noticed a 6-year-old child running alone across the street between the 700 block of 15th Street and contacted Miami Beach police.
The arrest report said when officers arrived, they found the child leaving an apartment complex. He led police to a nearby unit where they discovered four other children, ages 12 and younger, living in squalid conditions, investigators said.
Authorities said the apartment had no electricity, food or functioning plumbing.
The children said they had not eaten since the previous evening, December 30, and had been without electricity for nearly two months.
The 12-year-old told officers she was left in charge of her siblings while their parents were at work.
According to police, the children had been living on school meals during the semester but often went hungry during breaks.
The 12-year-old told police their parents sometimes left them with $20 to purchase fast food.
The arrest report said the apartment's toilet was inoperable and filled with stagnant water and feces. The report also said the children had been using rags or showering to clean themselves due to a lack of toilet paper.
Police noted the children were wearing soiled clothing and had a strong odor.
Azra Nikocevic, 33, the children's mother, who was contacted by police, arrived at the station and was read her Miranda rights. Post-Miranda, she admitted struggling to provide food and denied intentionally neglecting her children. The father, identified as Sanel Canovic, 40, later invoked his right to remain silent after requesting a Croatian translator.
Both parents are charged with child neglect for willfully failing to provide adequate care, supervision, and basic necessities for their children.
The children were placed in protective custody and authorities are continuing their investigation.
