A Gainesville mother was arrested after her children went to a neighbor for help early Saturday, telling the neighbor they believed she was dead. Police later found the 25-year-old woman unresponsive in a bathtub with three children inside the apartment, authorities said.
According to a report by Tampa Free Press, the woman was identified as Shalesia Cave, who faces three counts of child neglect without causing great bodily harm. A neighbor’s Ring camera reportedly captured two visibly distressed children knocking at the door around 1 a.m., while Cave’s 6-year-old son sang that his mother was dead.
The neighbor brought the two children inside, then went to Cave’s apartment and retrieved a third child, a 10-month-old infant, before calling 911. Police said Cave was the only adult present in the residence when officers arrived.
Police Say Mother Was Confused And Slurring Her Words
Responding officers found Cave breathing but unresponsive and naked in the bathtub, according to the arrest report. An officer wrote that Cave gradually regained consciousness but remained unaware of her surroundings, cried, slurred her speech and struggled to form understandable sentences.
The report also says Cave told officers she had ignored her children earlier in the evening so they would go back to sleep. Authorities have not publicly disclosed what caused her to lose consciousness.
Cave was booked into the Alachua County Jail and later released on her own recognizance, as reported by Tampa Free Press. Her release conditions require her to stay away from the children, and officials have not released details about their current care arrangement.
Florida Child Neglect Charges Explained
Florida law defines child neglect as a caregiver’s willful failure to provide necessary care or supervision, including conduct that creates a substantial risk of serious injury or death. The statute says neglect without great bodily harm is a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Legislature.
The charges are allegations, and Cave is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The public record available Tuesday did not indicate whether prosecutors had filed additional charges or scheduled a future hearing.
