A Florida mother was arrested as she stepped off a flight from Las Vegas after authorities accused her of leaving her four children home alone while she traveled for work.
Irene Miller, 50, was arrested on October 23 after returning to Florida. According to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, she faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
The case came to light on October 21, when one of Miller's children called 911 shortly after 8:30 p.m. to report that a dumbbell had fallen on her 9-year-old brother's head.
Deputies who responded to the family's home in Kissimmee found four children, ages 9, 11, 12 and 14, without an adult present. The injured boy was taken to a hospital, treated and later released.
Investigators said Miller had traveled to Las Vegas on October 18 and planned to return on October 23. She reportedly told deputies that she had arranged for a babysitter to help the children get ready for school in the mornings and check on them after school, but the sitter was not required to stay overnight.
Authorities contacted the children's father, who agreed to take the four children into his care.
Bodycam footage released by the sheriff's office shows deputies meeting Miller as she exited her flight and taking her into custody at the airport.
Miller was booked into the Orange County Jail. According to published reports, she has since been released. The allegations are charges, not a conviction, and it was not immediately clear whether she had entered a plea or retained an attorney.
The investigation highlights the serious concerns authorities raised about the children's supervision while their mother was away.