Florida mom arrested for allegedly leaving children home alone while on Vegas work trip, police say

Irene Miller, a 50-year-old Florida mother and professional photographer, was arrested on October 27 after leaving her four children—ages 9, 11, 12, and 14—home alone while she was in Las Vegas for work. On October 21, emergency responders were called to the family’s home in Kissimmee, Florida, due to a 911 call from one of her children reporting that their 9-year-old brother had been injured when a dumbbell fell on his head. The boy received medical treatment but was later released from Celebration Hospital.

Deputies learned through phone contact with Miller that she had left for Las Vegas on October 18 and planned to return by October 23, leaving her children unsupervised for nearly five days. She claimed she had arranged for a babysitter who would check in before and after school hours but was not present overnight.

Miller was intercepted at Orlando International Airport upon her return and arrested on charges of third-degree felony child endangerment without bodily harm. Legal experts argue that Florida’s lack of specific laws regarding the age at which children can be left alone makes cases like this a "recipe for disaster."