A 20-year-old babysitter is facing a child neglect charge after a non-verbal child with autism slipped away from a home and was found dangerously close to passing cars along Oak Ridge Road in Orange County. Investigators say the child was unsupervised when they left the residence and ended up beside active traffic, putting the child in immediate danger. The babysitter, identified by authorities as Lakyah Carter, was taken into custody and is charged with child neglect by a caregiver.
According to WFTV, investigators said Carter was the designated babysitter and noted in charging documents that the child is non-verbal and on the autism spectrum. The station reports the child wandered along the side of Oak Ridge Road, near active traffic, before being located.
How often autistic children wander and why it matters
Wandering, sometimes called elopement, is a well-documented safety risk for many families of children with autism. A 2012 study in Pediatrics found roughly half of children with autism had wandered, and about one in four of those incidents left the child missing long enough to cause serious concern, most often because of the risk of drowning or traffic injury.
Charges and legal context
WFTV reported Carter was arrested and booked on a child-neglect charge. Under Florida law, the statute on abuse and neglect of a child, outlined in the Florida Statutes, makes a caregiver criminally responsible when an omission or failure to supervise a child results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, serious physical or mental injury, with penalties that depend on the level of harm.
Safety steps and local resources
Advocates point to practical safety measures that can lower the odds of a dangerous wandering incident. Common tools include securing doors and other exits, using ID bracelets or other wearable IDs, keeping an emergency information form handy and sharing a safety plan with neighbors and first responders so they know how to help if a child goes missing.
Organizations such as the National Autism Association provide first-responder guides and the Big Red Safety Toolkit, which offers checklists and search tips families can use to prepare for and respond to wandering situations.
