Parents Arrested After Child Found Abandoned Outside Disney Ride

[ladyjayhawk]

This is awful!! I'm so glad that a guest found her before it was too late. Poor baby!

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Two parents were arrested on child abuse counts after authorities found their child in a hot stroller outside Walt Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean ride, according to an Orange County sheriff's report released Monday.

A Magic Kingdom patron alerted park management at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday after spotting an unattended 3-year-old girl in a stroller parked in the sun.

The girl was hot, turning red, covered in sweat and apparently “lifeless,” the report states. A paramedic touched and shook her, but she failed to respond. Saturday's highs were in the low 90s with no rain, and deputies estimate the child was in the sun for between 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Paramedics revived the girl by taking her indoors and giving her water. Deputies said the heat may have become deadly.

“[A paramedic] advised that if medical intervention had not been administered the female child was nearing signs of heat exhaustion with unknown results up to and including death,” the report states.

Parents Juan Carlos and Danette Rodriguez, 35 and 32, approached park workers seeking the girl about 50 minutes later. The couple said the girl was asleep inside a double stroller and got lost in the shuffle as their group of two adults and four children approached the ride, they told investigators.

When they entered the attraction, Juan Carlos thought Danette had their daughter, while Danette thought Juan Carlos had her. Shortly after, Juan Carlos went back outside to move the stroller to a designated area, but failed to see the little girl, he told deputies.

The parents only realized their daughter was missing when they exited the ride.

Juan Carlos and Danette were arrested on one count each of child abuse.

They were released from Orange County Jail Sunday on $2,500 bail each.

Calls to the parents' house were not returned.

The children were turned over to relatives members while the Department of Children and Families investigates.




Other links

http://www.wesh.com/news/13565909/detail.html

http://www.local6.com/news/13567345/detail.html

 

[SLDL]

Wow! I hadn't heard that story. Something doesn't add up about their story. I can't believe anyone could do that!

 

[canwegosoon]

That affects you for life(heat stroke)...I think CPS will be involved for sure(Shorty- thanks for clearing that up for me DCF=CPS.

 

[rentayenta]

Terrible. I actually know someone, not a friend, who left his daughters on the side to wait, alone, while he rode a ride. They were 6 and 3.

 

[Geoff_M]

We were in MGM on Saturday and it was roasting hot! I'm just glad the CMs acted in time.

 

[HunnyPots]

How, exactly, does one "lose" a double stroller?? Those things are monstrous! There is absolutely no way their story adds up. Two adults and four children and you can't see that your three year old is missing? Nuh uh... I don't think so...

 

[Shorty82]

Thank God the child is alright! I'm very glad concerned guest found the child and infomed CMs right away who called for the paramedics.

How anybody can lose a three year old like that is beyond me. I would have thought someone from the group would notice her missing and go "where's <name>?" and start looking right away. I agree with HunnyPots, no way their story adds up.

I'm thinking maybe they decided not to bring her on the ride but instead of doing the child swap thing like they should have they were idiots and left the kid sitting in the hot sun. The sun in Florida can be deadly, especially to small children and older adults.

That affects you for life...I think CPS will be involved for sure.

They already are. The Department of Children and Families is what Florida calls Child Protection Services.

 

[Arvandor_Ilfirin]

Yes, that's right. Obviously it's very easy to not realize that you just went on a ride without the child. You know, the one in the stroller that you've been pushing all day? Honestly, it's terrible to even think that people could do this and feign innocence....Ignorance is a terrible disease.

Some people really ought to have to pass a course in parenting before they're allowed to have a child.

 

[rosiep]

50 minutes later? How long is POC ride? 10-15 minutes? (much less I'm sure), this means they were waiting in line....weren't they in line together??

Let me tell you, I have two grown children and when they were small until they were in their twenties I made damn sure I knew where they were at all times!

 

[HunnyPots]

I'm thinking maybe they decided not to bring her on the ride but instead of doing the child swap thing like they should have they were idiots and left the kid sitting in the hot sun. The sun in Florida can be deadly, especially to small children and older adults.

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Eh, she's asleep. Just leave her here. She'll never know the difference...

 

[Shorty82]

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Eh, she's asleep. Just leave her here. She'll never know the difference...

Yeah, and because of that the child nearly never woke up again. I hope the parents have the book thrown at them hard for this and never get the child back. A few more minutes and their daughter would have been dead and instead of charged with just child abuse there would have been charges for causing a child's death.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Unbelievable.

 

[Geoff_M]

50 minutes later? How long is POC ride? 10-15 minutes? (much less I'm sure), this means they were waiting in line....weren't they in line together??

With the addition of Jack Sparrow to the ride and the recent release of the latest POTC film, wait times for the attraction during most of the day is often quite long (no FP either). So the 50 minute period doesn't surprise me. Stroller parking for the attraction is also outside the covered plaza area.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I just wonder what the heck they were thinking? How does a parent that really loves a child do that? Of course they are lying, give me a break. After 50 minutes they don't realize that thier baby is missing? I sure would heck would know i didn't have my children. When we are in line, they constantly asking me to pick them up or we play games, eat something. How does one overlook a child? It just is a bunch of bull!!! Some people are so selfish. I would NEVER leave my child no matter how badly i wanted to go on a ride. There are more important things in life than a ride. I just don't get it
Plus there is a covered area for strollers at POC. THey really aren't too swift!!!
Parents do make mistakes, but this is just beyond stupid. Their children do not deserve to have them for parents.

 

[tinkandpan]

How do you forget about an extra child? Esp in a crowded place like WDW. I am even more anal than normal about knowing where my kids are at all times when we are out and about.

 

[MelanieC]

Unbelievable!

 

[Alesia]

When they entered the attraction, Juan Carlos thought Danette had their daughter, while Danette thought Juan Carlos had her. Shortly after, Juan Carlos went back outside to move the stroller to a designated area, but failed to see the little girl, he told deputies.

The parents only realized their daughter was missing when they exited the ride.

Okay... So they finally realize neither one of them has her, so he goes out to move her. He can't find her, but instead of freaking out and trying to find her, he just gets back in line and rides the ride. Whatever...

 

[scanne]

This just makes me so sick. There are so many people that cannot have children of their own and then you get idiots like this??!!!??

I am so glad the little girl is alright.

This is truly an unbelieveable story....so sad.

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

OMG

That poor baby, Don't her parents realize that she could have gone too sleep FOREVER!!!

I love POTC (the movies, never rode the ride), but to risk the life of an innocent child to ride it is extreme!

I pray for that family, especially the children.

I think I'll go hug my babies now.

 

[mkycrzy1971]

As a parent of 3 children, I, too, find this hard to believe... I would have thought they (the parents) would have realized that one another did not have the child when they actually all sat down on the boat in POTC....surely they were on the same boat or in front or behind each other at the very least!! Something smells "fishy" here....