A 6-year-old boy was found wandering alone at a Sunny Isles Beach park over the weekend, scared and telling a witness he had not eaten since breakfast, according to police. His mother, 41-year-old Elena Sexton of Corpus Christi, Texas, was arrested and charged with child neglect after officers say she left the boy unsupervised at Town Center Park for nearly an hour.
A witness called police after spotting the boy alone at the park on Collins Avenue around 8:50 p.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report cited by NBC 6 South Florida. The boy reportedly told the witness that he was alone because his mother had left him, and that she had gone off with a friend to get food. He was described as scared and unwilling to leave with a stranger. Officers who responded canvassed the park but could not find the mother or another caretaker present, per the report.
Mother Says She Stepped Away for Toys, Then Stayed to Eat
According to WPLG Local 10, Sexton told arresting officers she had parked at a nearby shopping plaza and gone back to retrieve toys when a friend invited her to sit and eat, an invitation she accepted while her son remained alone at the park. Officers eventually found Sexton walking back into the park, and she was taken into custody at that point, the station reported. It was not immediately clear from available records how long officers searched before locating her.
Sexton was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, according to the same outlet's reporting. TGK, run by the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, serves as the county's central intake and booking facility for adults awaiting initial court appearances. Jail records reviewed by NBC 6 show Sexton was arrested on a charge of child neglect with no great bodily harm.
DCF Notified, But Placement Remains Unclear
Sunny Isles Beach police confirmed they notified the Florida Department of Children and Families following the arrest, though it was not disclosed whether the boy was placed into DCF custody or released to a relative, per the report. Under Florida law, officers and citizens who encounter suspected neglect are required to report to the state's abuse hotline, triggering a mandatory child protective assessment. That process is separate from the criminal case now moving through Miami-Dade court.
Sexton appeared before a judge on Monday, where bond was set at $2,500. Her son's whereabouts and care arrangements in the aftermath have not been made public.
What the Neglect Charge Could Mean
Under Florida Statute § 827.03(2)(d), child neglect without great bodily harm is classified as a third-degree felony, according to attorney Richard Hornsby. That charge carries statutory maximum penalties of up to five years in state prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine. Florida law defines the offense as a caregiver's failure to provide essential care or supervision needed to maintain a child's physical health.
Not every instance of a child playing unsupervised rises to that legal threshold, however. Per legal guidance from Hunt Law, Florida statute makes clear that allowing a minor to engage in independent activity, including playing outside, does not by itself constitute neglect unless a caregiver's conduct is willful, wanton, and directly endangers the child. Prosecutors must show culpable negligence or a direct risk to the child's health to secure a felony conviction on that basis.
A Familiar Park With a Troubled Recent History
Town Center Park, at 17200 Collins Avenue, is a 3-acre municipal park with a playground, fitness trail, and gazebo that closes daily at 9 p.m., according to the city of Sunny Isles Beach. The witness in this case reported the unattended boy just minutes before that closing time.
It is not the first time a Sunny Isles Beach park has drawn police attention over the treatment of a child. Hoodline previously reported on a choking incident during a water gun fight at Gwen Margolis Park in 2024, in which a 60-year-old resident was charged with felony child abuse. Whether the child in this latest case was ultimately placed with DCF or a relative remains an open question, and the criminal case against Sexton is still pending before Miami-Dade County courts.
