Florida Mom Raged at Kids for Calling 911 After Son's Head Injury, Cops Say
The mother faces child endangerment charges after allegedly leaving four children unsupervised for nearly a week while she traveled to Las Vegas.
A Florida mother accused of abandoning her four children for an almost week-long trip to Las Vegas reportedly became angry when her children called 911 after their younger brother sustained a head injury, according to authorities.
Irene Miller, 50, is facing four counts of child endangerment. Osceola County deputies discovered her 9-year-old son with a bloody forehead wound, which police said was caused by a dumbbell that fell on him while he was building a fort in their Kissimmee home on Oct. 21.
The injured boy, his 11-year-old sister, and two younger brothers, aged 12 and 14, were left unsupervised for days. A babysitter reportedly drove from Tampa to check on them each morning and after school.
Miller, a photographer, had left for a five-day work trip to Las Vegas on Oct. 18.
Deputies contacted Miller by phone following the accident. According to Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Kim Montes, Miller was dismissive, stating she was working and then hanging up. Shortly after, Miller called her 14-year-old son.
"She's berating the son for calling 911...while he was standing right there with the deputy. It was on speaker," Montes said. "So she knew what she did was wrong."
Despite her son's injury, which required hospitalization and medical attention, Miller did not immediately return home. The four children were eventually placed in the care of their father, Mark Miller, 53.
Mark Miller had recently been the subject of a restraining order after Irene Miller accused him of slapping her phone from her hand during a confrontation. He has pleaded not guilty to a criminal battery charge related to that incident. Irene Miller had also filed for divorce last month. The children reportedly expressed happiness at seeing their father, and they have been staying with him at a motel.
During their investigation at the family home, deputies noted a lack of sufficient food for the four children.
Irene Miller was apprehended by law enforcement at Orlando International Airport upon her return from Las Vegas on Friday, a day and a half after the reported accident. She was booked into Orange County Jail and later posted a $4,000 bond.