On March 2023, an Ohio woman named Tanya Perez traveled to Florida from Ohio alongside her three children, ages 9, 10 and 12. An apparent innocent trip transformed into a case of child abuse, as Perez decided to leave her children by themselves at a welcome center in Florida. She left them so that her sister could pick them up. She was charged with three counts of child abuse.
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On March 22, 2023, Perez called her sister telling her that she was coming to Florida. Her sister, however, became fearful that Perez would leave the kids by themselves. That is why she contacted authorities and requested a wellness check for her and her children. A deputy arrived at the Florida welcome center and found Perez with her three children. Perez told the deputy that she would wait with her children. She lied.
After the deputy left the welcome center, 911 received a call about three children left by themselves in the lobby with their bags. They were Perez's children.
"She came in and talked to one of our representatives and asked if she could leave the kids," a welcome center employee told News4JAX. "They would only be here for a few minutes." Perez's arrest warrant stated that she left the children with no money to buy food and no number to contact her.
Mother Arrested
"We ended up calling the Sheriff's Office. We felt so bad for them," the employee continued. "Nobody came for the kids. These little kids by themselves had suitcases. It was insane."
Authorities then contacted the children's biological father, who said that Perez had full custody of the children. He wasn't aware that Perez and the children moved to Ohio. After the incident, the police issued an arrest warrant for Perez, arresting her days later.
"What's going on with this mom's mind to leave her three children here on this very recognizable corridor that has been known for years as a hub for human trafficking," Safety Analyst Tom Hackney told the outlet. "It's one thing to abandon your kids, but it's another thing to abandon them where they may become victims of something else."
Police booked Tanya Perez into the Nassau County jail on a $300,000 bond.
