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A Florida mother and her boyfriend are now facing charges after leaving two toddlers home alone. According to Fox 35 Orlando, the couple left the children without supervision for approximately eight hours while they went to work on September 1.
When the couple returned, one of the toddlers was found “unresponsive” and later pronounced deceased.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, 22-year-old Donrea A. McLaughlin and 26-year-old Sean Lee II were arrested on Friday. Additionally, the couple has been charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and two counts of child neglect.
The police department adds that McLaughlin and Lee II were arrested after fleeing to Atlanta, Georgia. Their bond has since been set at $4.5 million. Additionally, both adults are expected to be extradited to Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida.
There, the couple will await “further judicial proceedings.”
According to the police department’s public release, authorities and emergency medical services responded to a Florida home on September 1. At the time, it had been reported that a 3-year-old girl was “unresponsive at the location.”
Upon arrival, the child’s mother, McLaughlin, informed authorities that she had taken a nap. However, “several hours later,” she was awoken by her boyfriend, Lee II, who informed her of the toddler’s condition. The 3-year-old was taken to the hospital and later pronounced deceased.
As the Gainesville Police Department continued their investigation, authorities soon discovered that McLaughlin and Lee II left the 3-year-old and her sibling “unsupervised (alone) in the home for approximately 8 hours.”
Authorities allege that both adults “attended work” during that time. Additionally, neither McLaughlin nor Lee II “arranged for,” “provided care,” or “checked on” the toddlers during their absence.
Then, when McLaughlin and Lee II returned to the home, they allegedly discovered one of the children to be unresponsive.
Additionally, during the investigation, authorities reportedly discovered that Laughlin and Lee II had “a history of prolonged abuse and neglect” toward the toddlers. The surviving sibling also received treatment at a hospital the day of the incident for an unspecified “injury.”
WCJB reports that the children were twin siblings.
As The Shade Room previously reported, another Florida couple was recently arrested and charged with child neglect earlier this month. The arrest occurred after a 15-year-old arrived at school with cockroaches in her book bag.
Upon investigation, authorities discovered that the teenager and three of her siblings were living in inhumane conditions at the hands of their mother and her fiancé. Those conditions reportedly included a home infested with insects, cockroaches, “mold, trash,” and old food. Additionally, the residence housed “multiple animals” and lacked a functioning air conditioner, allowing the home to reach 85 degrees or higher.
Ultimately, 37-year-old Samantha Acker and 36-year-old Christopher Rounds were each charged with four counts of child neglect.
