On Sunday, October 18, Irene Miller, 50, left her four young children, ages 9, 11, 12, and 14, alone at their condo in Kissimmee, Florida, and went on a five-day work trip to Las Vegas.
During her absence, the nine-year-old boy got hurt and was rushed to the hospital by emergency services.
When police telephoned to inform Irene, she not only refused to return home but called her eldest and “yelled” at him for calling 911.
“She’s berating the son for calling 911, while he was standing right there with the deputy. It was on speaker,” police said. “So she knew what she did was wrong.”
Irene Miller refused to fly home after her son’s injury and berated her kids for calling the cops
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office deputies cuffed Irene as soon as her plane landed at Orlando International Airport on Friday, October 23. She was charged with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
According to Captain Kim Montes, Irene’s 11-year-old daughter called 911 on Wednesday, October 21, at about 8:30 p.m. She reported that her nine-year-old brother was injured by a dumbbell that accidentally fell on his head.
The child was treated for head lacerations and subsequently released.
Officers called Irene to inform her about the incident, but she told them that she would be in Las Vegas until Friday and “couldn’t come home,” Capt. Montes told reporters on Wednesday.
“She’s very dismissive to the deputy [who called], saying that she’s working right now… Then says she is going to have to go and hangs up on the deputy,” the captain added.
“Then she proceeds to call the 14-year-old on his cell phone, and I don’t want to use the word yell… But basically tells the 14-year-old, ‘Why are you calling 911? You’re going to get me in trouble,’” Capt. Montes continued.
Irene, a Russian-born professional photographer, appeared to be working with a client at the real estate brokerage franchise network Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, according to her social media.
After police detained her on Friday, Irene told officers she had hired a babysitter who traveled from Tampa each morning to get the children ready for school. The babysitter was also to check on them in the afternoon and was not required to stay overnight.
She was released the day after on a $4,000 surety bond. It is not known when she is next due in court.
Irene Miller’s estranged husband, who was previously accused of battery, now has the kids
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office
After Irene refused to come home, the cops contacted the children’s father, Mark Miller, who did not know that his estranged wife had left the kids unsupervised. The police placed the four kids in his care.
The father started a GoFundMe campaign, seeking $5,000 to help him support his kids.
The five of them are currently living in a single-room motel after he became their “unexpected sole caregiver,” he wrote on social media.
Mark, originally from Ukraine, added that Irene, with whom he has no contact at the moment, is “not a bad person,” but “she made choices she didn’t fully think through.”
Mark and Irene were married for 15 years before starting divorce proceedings two years ago. Still, they were living together at the Kissimmee condo until August, when Irene accused Mark of physical harm—an allegation he denies.
Mark was arrested on August 21 and charged with battery after allegedly striking Irene outside of their children’s school. Court records show he was released on $10,000 bond.
He waived his arraignment, pleaded not guilty, and requested a jury trial, according to a court document his attorney filed on August 27.
A source revealed how the child injured himself and what the aftermath of the accident looked like
Liliana Drew/Pexels (not the actual photo)
A family friend, who chose to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail that the accident happened as the kids tried to build a blanket fort.
They were attempting to use the dumbbell to secure the fort when it dropped on the boy’s head and caused “a lot of blood.”
The source added that things have been “chaotic” for Mark and the kids since the incident, and that they are still living at the motel while Irene remains alone at the condo.
Hebert Santos/Pexels (not the actual photo)
On September 7, a judge issued a no-contact order to Mark after Irene’s accusations, forbidding either party from interacting with the other, Capt. Montes told the outlet.
The judge also banned Mark from coming within 500 feet of Irene’s residence or vehicle.
However, Department of Children and Family Services personnel who responded to the scene after the incident determined Mark was safe to take the children, she added.
“The kids were ecstatic to see him, like hugging him, happy to go with him,” Capt. Montes said.
The internet was divided over whether Irene Miller neglected her kids
While several called Irene out for her “negligence,” many argued it was “not a crime” since three of the kids were over 10—one of them 14,
Moreover, a babysitter checked in on them every day.
“It sounds like they were of reasonable age, had adult backup, and would have been fine if the other child had not gotten injured,” one said.
Another wrote, “This hardly rises to the level of criminal neglect. This was a woman doing her best with limited means, and jailing her is only going to ruin the lives of everyone involved, including the kids.”
“Why do you think it’s okay for a 14-year-old to be left in charge of three young children for days on end? My sympathy is really limited here,” one argued back.
A second agreed: “A dumbbell fell on one of the kids’ heads. Clearly they weren’t mature enough to be left alone regardless of age.”
“Having grown up in a neglectful and ab*s*ve home, I’m gonna have to side with the kids on this one. It’s not okay to neglect children,” another empathized with the children.
“14 is old enough but only for a few hours, not days,” one user weighed in
