A 2-year-old boy wearing only a tank top and diaper was found crying and wandering alone in the middle of Jones Road near Talisi Loop late Saturday night, prompting Osceola County deputies to launch a door-to-door search that ended with both of his parents in handcuffs. The toddler was spotted by a passing driver who pulled over, brought the child to safety and called 911 just before midnight.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, Osceola County Sheriff's Office Captain Kim Montes said deputies responded to the 911 call at 11:39 p.m. Saturday in the Narcoossee area near St. Cloud. Deputies began going door to door in the surrounding neighborhood trying to figure out where the child had come from, since no adult was immediately present to claim him.
Open Door Leads Deputies to the Child's Home
The search led deputies to a home on the 600 block of Talisi Loop, within the Summerly community, where they found the front door standing open with no one inside, as reported by WKMG. Deputies confirmed it was the toddler's residence after finding a photograph of the child inside the unoccupied home, according to the same report from the sheriff's office.
When a deputy reached the boy's father, 36-year-old Johnny JeanBaptiste, by phone, JeanBaptiste hung up rather than answering questions, per the sheriff's office. He and the child's mother, 32-year-old Stacia McMillian, did not arrive back at the home in a Toyota Corolla until just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday, more than 50 minutes after the initial 911 call, according to the same account. Deputies described both parents as uncooperative once they returned.
Both Parents Booked on Felony Neglect Charges
JeanBaptiste and McMillian were both booked into the Osceola County Jail on a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm, the report notes. Court records show neither parent had a prior criminal arrest record in Osceola County before this incident.
Under Florida Statute § 827.03, child neglect without great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement is classified as a third-degree felony. State law defines the offense as a caregiver's willful or culpably negligent failure to provide a child with essential care, supervision, clothing, shelter or medical services needed to maintain physical and mental health. A conviction on the felony charge carries statutory maximum penalties of up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
Child Placed With Family as DCF Steps In
The 2-year-old was released to the custody of a grandparent after deputies notified the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to reporting on the case.
It remains unclear why the toddler was left unattended or exactly where JeanBaptiste and McMillian were during the roughly hour-long window between the 911 call and their arrival home. The Summerly neighborhood where the family lives sits near Narcoossee Middle School and US-192 in St. Cloud, a residential area of single-family homes built in recent years.
