NewsWFLA News Channel 8October 26, 2026Hillsborough County
Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrests Kissimmee mother for child neglect after children left home alone
Photo: WFLA News Channel 8
Police arrested a Kissimmee mother at an airport on Friday after deputies discovered she left her four children home alone for several days while traveling to Las Vegas. The mother, identified as 50-year-old Irene Miller, faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
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A 9-year-old child was hospitalized with a head injury caused by a falling dumbbell while unsupervised, prompting deputies to intervene and place all four children in the care of their father.
Key Facts
- Deputies responded to a 911 call on Oct. 21 after a 9-year-old boy was injured by a falling dumbbell.
- Four children aged 14, 12, 11, and 9 were found unsupervised in a home with no adults present.
- The 9-year-old injured child was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
- The mother, 50-year-old Irene Miller, had left for Las Vegas on Oct. 18 and stated she would return on Oct. 23.
- Miller told deputies she arranged for a morning and after-school babysitter from Tampa but did not require her to stay overnight.
- The children's father was contacted and took the children to his residence.
- Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Miller as she exited her flight on Friday.
- Miller was charged with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and booked into the Orange County Jail.
Who's Mentioned
PersonIrene Miller“50-year-old mother arrested and charged with four counts of child neglect”locationTampa“City where the babysitter reportedly came from”locationKissimmee“Hometown of the mother”OrganizationOrange County Jail“Jail facility where Miller was booked”locationOsceola County“Location of the sheriff's office and the home where children were found”OrganizationOsceola County Sheriff’s Office“Law enforcement agency that responded to the 911 call and made the arrest”locationLas Vegas“Location where the mother traveled for work”