Florida mother arrested for leaving four children, including infant, home alone for four days to go on a cruise

A Florida mother, Nathalie Belizaire, 29, has been arrested after allegedly leaving her four minor children, including a two-month-old infant, alone at home while she went on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas.

Belizaire, of North Miami Beach, is facing four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to police.

The case came to light after the father of one of the children, the two-month-old infant, reportedly saw a post on Belizaire’s WhatsApp story on Thursday showing what appeared to be a cruise ticket purchase.

Police said Belizaire told the man that she would drop the children off with their great-grandmother before leaving town.

However, when he went to her apartment on Saturday night, he reportedly saw the television on through the blinds and heard children inside the residence.

He then called 911, prompting police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel to respond and force entry into the apartment.

Authorities said all four children were found inside the residence without adult supervision and were hiding together in the bathroom.

The children’s great-grandmother reportedly told police that Belizaire had informed her that she would bring the children over because she was going out of town, but she never did.

Police also said Belizaire’s brother received a text message from her around 8pm on Saturday instructing him to check on the children.

Investigators later discovered that Belizaire had purchased a three-day ticket to the Bahamas aboard the Carnival Conquest, which departed on September 25.

According to the arrest report, she left the four children, including the two-month-old infant and a two-year-old child, inside the residence without adult supervision while she travelled on the cruise.

Police said their attempts to contact Belizaire were unsuccessful until Monday, when authorities waited for her to disembark at PortMiami.

She was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before being released to North Miami Beach police.

Authorities said Belizaire declined to provide a statement and invoked her right to remain silent.

She appeared in bond court on Tuesday, where her bond was set at $10,000 and she was ordered to stay away from the children.

During the hearing, Judge Mindy Glazer expressed concern over the allegations, saying she was grateful that nothing worse happened to the children.

Belizaire’s attorney said she denied the allegations.

The children were reported to be safe and have been placed in foster care while the case proceeds.