Police arrested a Florida couple after their children were allegedly found outside naked and covered in human feces . Danielle Roberson, 34, and Jacob Roberson, 32, were taken into custody by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office on September 8. A deputy reportedly recognized a child running naked near Green Acres Road and returned him to the family’s home in Fort Walton.
After arriving at the home, a second child was found naked with feces on his body, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office. It was a sad scene that led to child neglect charges against the parents.
The child was reportedly running in traffic.
Per the sheriff’s office, the incident occurred around 9 a.m., and the child, whose age was not reported, was seen running across four lanes of traffic near Green Acres Road and Green Acres Boulevard.
“Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Deputies spotted the boy running across four lanes of traffic and nearly getting hit by vehicles, but were able to get him to safety. The child was found to be covered in his own feces. They cleaned him and wrapped him in a towel,” the news release reads.
Deputies took the child home.
After rescuing the child, they wanted to return him to his family, whom they apparently knew. When they arrived, they reportedly saw another naked child covered in feces outside the home. Deputies went into the Fort Walton residence and found the home in “deplorable conditions,” per the sheriff’s department.
There were five children in the home.
The sheriff’s office reported five children at the residence, all younger than 12. The home was reportedly a mess, and “prescription medications” were within reach of all of the children.
The parents were arrested and taken into custody. They were each charged with five counts of child neglect. The Department of Children and Families is investigating the case.
The father took to Facebook to try and clear his name.
Jacob Roberson wrote on Facebook , “Thank you for everyone who has checked in on me really appreciate you guys. Everything is going to work out. I will continue to do what I need to do for my family and my business as I move forward. Thank you again for everyone supporting us through this.”
A friend wrote, “Not sure what challenges you are facing, but I will add you and your family to my prayers.”
A critic chimed in, commenting, “Some of us will make sure your kids are taken from you. What an unfit loser’ parent’ you are.”
Roberson replied, “we’re all fine, unfortunately I wasn’t home or we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Another person asked, “Do you need help with your kids? This is a very sad situation! In no way is this acceptable of those babies running alone and like that and what happened to your wife she doesn’t even look the same. Are you guys OK?”
Police in California say a mother was found intoxicated inside a vehicle beside the body of her 3-year-old daughter . Sandra Hernandez-Cazares, 42, reportedly passed out September 6 in a Ford Expedition near the family’s apartment in Anaheim. Her daughter, Illy Ruiz, was also in the hot car and appears to have died due to the extreme temperature.
According to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Hernandez-Cazares’ family began looking for her when they received a call from her 5-year-old son’s school stating no one had picked up the boy from school. Tragically, by the time they got to the mother’s car, Illy was dead.
The family tried to save Illy.
According to the news release, when family members found Hernandez-Cazares and Illy inside the car, the temperature was more than 104 degrees. Family members broke one of the SUV’s windows and attempted life-saving measures on the child but were unable to revive her. The mother was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Hernandez-Cazares’ blood alcohol level was allegedly extremely high.
Hernandez-Cazares’ blood alcohol level was .30, nearly four times the legal limit of .08, per the news release. She allegedly had several empty alcohol bottles inside the car when she was found. Doctors estimate the child had been dead several hours before they discovered the pair in the locked car in the extreme heat.
The mother was an advocate for safe driving.
The district attorney’s office reported Hernandez-Cazares’ 5-year-old and 9-year-old sons were killed by a drunk driver in 2012 while they were sleeping in a tent on a family vacation in South Dakota. After the horrific accident, the mother and her husband, Juan Ruiz, lobbied for stronger penalties for driving under the influence in North Dakota.
The mother faces a lengthy jail sentence.
Hernandez-Cazares was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse, causing significant bodily injury, both felonies. She is being held on a $150,000 bond. She could spend up to 12 years in prison if convicted, per the district attorney’s office.
“The unimaginable pain of having your 5-year-old and 9-year-old sons killed by a drunk driver is something from which you can never recover,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer shared in the news release. “Anyone who has suffered such a devastating tragedy knows the ripple effects of grief may be able to be hidden, but the heartbreak of losing your children will never go away. A mother who was robbed of the chance to see two of her sons grow up because of the selfish decision of a stranger will have to live with the fact she will never get to see her little girl grow up because of the choices she made.”
The family created a GoFundMe account for Illy’s father.
Cousin Nancy Salamanca created the fundraiser , explaining Juan Ruiz needed assistance moving from Texas to California to care for his young son. Illy’s death was a shock and the family is devastated.
“We don’t wish this excruciating pain upon anyone, and any person who knows ILY’s father Juan recognizes he has already suffered so much loss even previous to this. Please find it in your heart to continue to help them in anyway you can. This should have never happened to his innocent little girl,” she wrote on the page. “It is so overwhelmingly painful to hear the accounts of what occurred. It’s been unbearable and hard to wrap our minds around. We have to unite behind Juan and the family. Thank you all for being there for Juan, his son, and all of us. We are moved beyond words. We love you.”
The fundraiser has brought in nearly $15,000 of a $25,000 goal thus far.
