Two parents in Miami Beach are facing charges after police found their five children living in what has been described as deplorable conditions in their apartment. Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, have been arrested and charged with child neglect following a disconcerting discovery by law enforcement on Tuesday.
The situation began when a passerby noticed a 6-year-old child crossing the street unsupervised in Miami Beach's busy 700 block of 15th Street area. The concerned citizen alerted police, who were able to locate the child and brought him to an apartment where four more children were discovered, according to a report by NBC Miami. Upon entering the apartment, officers found no food, no electricity, a non-working toilet, and a non-functional stove. Police also noted the toilet was filled with stagnant water and feces, and there was a lack of toilet paper. The children informed the officers that they had been living without electricity for roughly two months and they were often going to bed hungry, NBC Miami reported.
In a report by Caribbean National Weekly, the children, who range in age from 6 to 12 years old, shared a full-size bed and depended majorly on school meals. The 12-year-old daughter, assuming responsibility for her siblings, told the police that "you eat at school, so you don't eat at home" was a common refrain from their father. Despite the mother occasionally leaving them $20 for food, the children expressed that they faced constant hunger, especially during holiday breaks when school meals were not available.
Following the welfare check, officers brought the children to the police station to ensure they were fed and cared for while attempts were made to contact their parents. Upon arrival, Nikocevic admitted to investigators she left money for snacks but couldn't confirm if the children had eaten because she had no way to contact them while at work. She also told authorities about attempting to get food stamp assistance but denied intentionally depriving the children of food. Canovic, who requested to speak through a Croatian interpreter, invoked his right to an attorney without providing further details. "The defendant and co-defendant willfully failed to provide adequate care, supervision, and the basic necessities required to maintain the victims' physical and mental health," the police report stated. Both parents were incarcerated and later appeared in court where a judge set their bond at $2,500 each, as reported by NBC Miami.
