A Miami-Dade woman is currently under arrest after her 5-year-old daughter was discovered screaming for help from within a locked car. The incident occurred early yesterday morning outside an apartment complex in the 1600 block of 191st Street, as reported by WSVN.
A concerned witness dialed 911 around 2 a.m. after hearing the distressed calls of "Somebody help me!" from the child, according to the arrest report. Upon arrival, officers discovered the young girl strapped into her car seat inside a blue BMW, her exit thwarted by the child's safety restraint. "She had fallen asleep on the way home from a bonfire and woke up alone in the car, unable to unbuckle herself," the child explained to the police, a detail shared by WSVN.
The rescue came as a result of the assistance provided by a passage, who showed the child how to open the car door. The woman's mother, identified as 33-year-old Valerie Victoria Vincente, was found in her apartment. She appeared disoriented, was not dressed properly, and seemed intoxicated according to police statements. A critical detail in the case is an empty wine bottle spotted on the backseat floorboard of the car, suggesting alcohol could have played a role in the events leading to the young girl's distress.
When the police confronted Vincente in her apartment, "Vincente became uncooperative and requested an attorney," as per Local10 coverage. Valerie Victoria Vincente is now being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, facing charges of third-degree child neglect without great bodily harm. The young girl who had been "scared and hungry" when found, is a stark reminder of the vulnerability and dependence of children on the judgment and care of adults.
