In March 2023, an Ohio woman, Tanya Perez, made a trip to Florida with her three children, who are 9, 10, and 12 years old. A seemingly harmless outing turned into a troubling incident of child neglect, as Perez chose to abandon her children alone at a welcome center in Florida.
She set them aside for her sister to collect. She faces three charges related to child abuse.
On March 22, 2023, Perez informed her sister that she was heading to Florida. Her sister grew worried that Perez might abandon the kids alone. She reached out to the authorities to ask for a wellness check for herself and her children.
A deputy showed up at the Florida Welcome Center and discovered Perez along with her three children. Perez informed the deputy that she would stay with her children. She was not truthful.
Following the deputy’s departure from the welcome center, a 911 call was made regarding three unattended children in the lobby with their belongings. The children belonged to Perez.
“She came in and talked to one of our representatives and asked if she could leave the kids,” a welcome center employee told News4JAX. “They would only be here for a few minutes.”
Perez’s arrest warrant indicated that she abandoned the children without any funds for food and without a way to reach her.
“We ended up calling the Sheriff’s Office. We felt so bad for them,” the employee continued. “Nobody came for the kids. These little kids by themselves had suitcases. It was insane.”
Officials reached out to the biological father of the children, who confirmed that Perez held full custody. He didn’t know that Perez and the kids had relocated to Ohio. Following the incident, authorities released an arrest warrant for Perez, who was taken into custody a few days later.
“What’s going on with this mom’s mind to leave her three children here on this very recognizable corridor that has been known for years as a hub for human trafficking,” Safety Analyst Tom Hackney told the outlet. “It’s one thing to abandon your kids, but it’s another thing to abandon them where they may become victims of something else.”
Tanya Perez was taken into custody by police and is currently held at the Nassau County jail with a bond set at $300,000.