Robert Niles
Editor
Robert Niles

Parents arrested for child abuse at Walt Disney World

June 26, 2007, 9:03 AM · An Orlando couple is facing child abuse charges after they left their 3-year-old daughter outside in a stroller while they rode Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The girl was taken inside and given water by park employees.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

A Magic Kingdom patron alerted park management about 4:45 p.m. Saturday after spotting the girl in a stroller parked in the sun, according to a report released Monday by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The girl was hot, turning red, covered in sweat and appeared to be "lifeless," the report states....

The couple said the girl was asleep inside a double stroller and got lost in the shuffle as their group of two adults and four children approached the ride, they told investigators.

When they entered the attraction, the father said he thought his wife had their daughter, while she thought her husband had her.


Replies (13)

nenacoqui
Iris Hernandez
June 26, 2007 at 9:37 AM · Wow....i'm glad the little girl is ok. I just dont get how they just accidentally left her behind. I know the park gets packed to the max, and a lot of families get accidentally seperated, but any responsible parent would double check to make sure they have all their children with them. I know i check twice. But hey, it could've been an honest mistake. I'm just glad the girl is ok.
Mr.Emery
Brian Emery
June 26, 2007 at 10:41 AM · Stupid people shouldn’t breed!
disney15
John Quinteros
June 26, 2007 at 11:58 AM · I agree with the comment beforehand. Stupid people (partically stupud blondes) should never breed!

And about the baby, I hope its okay.

cliffxdavis
Cliff Davis
June 26, 2007 at 1:12 PM · Been there, done that. Who has'nt lost a kid or two?
LukeSkiewalker
Bradley Robertson
June 26, 2007 at 2:43 PM · While I am sure there are many parents that have had their child wander away from them, I did it countless times as a kid, it baffles me that you could forget to take your child out of the stroller you have been pushing around all day. I doubt that it was intentional to leave the child behind, especially for a ride like POTC. It was probably a mis-communication like the parents stated. However, neglect is neglect and I hope the child is okay.
scott7118
Scott Tuttle
June 26, 2007 at 6:26 PM · I am not a parent. However, I could understand if this happening...once. I do think that other people have probably made a bigger issue of it than it needs to be. We all make mistakes. The fact that the child was very hot and dehydrated is a bit scary. I guess it beats leaving the child in a car with the windows rolled up.
Erinlea1
Erin hartsoe
June 26, 2007 at 7:11 PM · I can NOT understand how a parent can leave their child in a stroller or anywhere else and not realize while waiting in line that neither parent has the child. I am the parent of 2 children and have been taking my kids to Disney since they were 2yrs and 6mths - I never forgot either one of them. I don't buy the "I thought her father had her or I thought her mother had her". They figured she was asleep and it would be easier to leave her. Good thing for the little girl a kind person found her not a child predator.
blind006
Brian L
June 26, 2007 at 9:04 PM · My older brother got lost in Magic kingdom in 1990 once. He was about 9 or 10 at the time and was rescued by the dynamic duo of Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. I can understand at about that age getting lost as it was a summertime visit, it was real crowded and he was distracted by shiny things, this sort of thing happens. But altogether leaving an infant in a stroller in June in Florida outside an attraction as they claimed "accidentally"? Thats weaksauce. One of em could have easily left the line and raced towards the kid.
coasterdude
Writer
Anthony Murphy
June 27, 2007 at 11:49 AM · Suprised it didn't happen more often!

I have noticed that people tend to loose their mind in theme parks. Its really strange!

I am glad the child is OK

coasterdude
Writer
Anthony Murphy
June 27, 2007 at 6:13 PM · Sorry for posting again, but people should click on the actual newspaper link. It makes it more clear about what happened because based on the blurb, it could be argued that they just forgot her and noticed she wasn't with them until they got into the line. That is not the case if you read the actual article because it confused me a little bit!
Maleficent1
laurie wood
June 27, 2007 at 8:15 PM · Well, first of all, if you are all together shuffling through the line at POTC, how in the heck do you NOT notice that the baby is not with ANYONE! I mean, did they all split up and get in line separately, and then get on the ride separately? I doubt it! I can see how, for a minute you think that the other parent has the stroller or baby, but come on - not for the whole time they were in line and on the ride! I'll bet that the wait was 30 to 45 minutes - even in a fast pass line!
coastergirl
Adrienne McDonald
June 27, 2007 at 8:28 PM · Uhhh okay how do you lose a stroller? Sounds stupid to me. I can understand losing a child in a crowd if you're not paying attention but a STROLLER? Come on! They didn't lose the stroller, they just wanted to ride the ride & didn't wanna "bother" with the baby. They should've gotten a sitter if they were concerned about missing out on the big kid rides. They got what they deserved.
jadams4
James Adams
June 28, 2007 at 7:58 AM · Having four kids is pretty hectic at times. It sounds like the mother and father were not together on the ride. Probably they got seperated and each thought the other had the child. It really looks like an honest mistake. That's happened to my wife and I at a shoe store - thankfully for just a couple of minutes. But it is very challenging to manage large families. They really should thank God that the cast member found the child - this could have been alot worse.

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