Orlando airport arrest follows five-day gap in child supervision

Irene Miller was arrested at an Orlando airport terminal on Friday morning following a five-day period when her four children were left without overnight supervision in Kissimmee.

The incident began on October 18 when Miller departed Florida for a work assignment in Las Vegas. On October 21, one of her children called 911 to report that a dumbbell had fallen on the head of her 9-year-old brother. Deputies arrived at the home shortly after 8:30 p.m. that evening and found children aged 9, 11, 12, and 14 with no adults present. Fire rescue crews transported the injured boy to Celebration Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Sheriff Chris Blackmon’s office stated that Miller arranged for a babysitter to travel from Tampa during mornings to assist the children with school preparation and check on them later. The sitter was not required to stay overnight. When deputies contacted Miller by phone, she indicated she was working in Las Vegas and planned to return on October 23. The children’s father agreed to take all four children to his residence while detectives coordinated the airport pickup.

Miller, 50, was booked into the Orange County Jail on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. Body camera footage captured deputies escorting her through the terminal and placing her in handcuffs after she exited her plane.

Sheriff Blackmon stated that the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. He added that the department will investigate such cases and bring charges against parents who fail to properly supervise or care for their children.