Makenson and Jolanda Alexandre told the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that their two-year-old daughter was missing at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
By then, the little girl had already been missing for 14 hours. It turned out she had been left behind at Haverhill Park in West Palm Beach around 7 p.m. the night before.
According to the Mirror, police found the toddler walking around the park alone in a gold tutu, hours after her parents had already gone.
Makenson, 34, and Jolanda, 27, had gone home from the park without noticing they had left their daughter there.
To find the child’s family, the police shared her photo with the community and on social media. She was kept in a safe place during the night.
The next day, the parents told the police they didn’t know they had left the park without their daughter and didn’t notice she wasn’t at home.
Her mother cried and trembled, saying she couldn’t believe she had made such a mistake.
Makenson and Jolanda were both arrested and charged with one count of neglect each, but they were let out soon after by paying $3,000 bail.
The Department of Children and Families took their seven other kids out of the home to keep them safe.
What’s your opinion on this situation? Do you think it was serious neglect or just a mistake that any exhausted parent could make? Share your thoughts in the comments — and don’t forget to share this with your friends and family.