Deputies met Irene Miller after her flight landed, two days after finding her four children without an adult at home.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Florida deputies arrested a 50-year-old mother after she returned from a Las Vegas work trip, accusing her of leaving four children without overnight adult supervision for several days, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Irene Miller was taken into custody Oct. 23 after detectives arranged to meet her when her flight from Las Vegas landed. Authorities charged her with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. The arrest followed an emergency call two days earlier that brought deputies to the family’s home and raised questions about the supervision arrangements Miller said she had made while traveling.
The investigation began shortly after 8:30 p.m. Oct. 21, when a child called 911 to report that her 9-year-old brother had been injured after a dumbbell fell on his head. Deputies responding to the home found four children, ages 14, 12, 11 and 9, and no adult present, the sheriff’s office said.
Fire rescue crews transported the injured boy to Celebration Hospital. He was treated and later released. Deputies reached Miller by phone, and authorities said she told them she was in Las Vegas for work and was scheduled to return to Florida on Oct. 23.
Investigators said Miller had left for Las Vegas on Oct. 18. Miller told deputies that a babysitter traveled from Tampa in the mornings to get the children ready for school and returned to check on them after school, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities said the babysitter was not expected to stay overnight.
The sheriff’s office has not publicly detailed every visit the babysitter may have made or specified the exact amount of time the children were alone before deputies arrived. The agency’s allegation is that the children lacked proper adult supervision while their mother was away. The charges against Miller are allegations and do not establish guilt.
Deputies contacted the children’s father after responding to the home. He agreed to take all four children to his residence, authorities said. The children have not been publicly identified in reports about the case.
Detectives then planned for Miller’s return. Video later released by the sheriff’s office showed deputies approaching her after the flight landed and taking her into custody. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on the four neglect counts.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the agency would pursue investigations and charges in cases in which authorities believe parents are not properly supervising or caring for children. His statement did not determine Miller’s guilt, which would be decided through the court process.
Authorities said the 9-year-old had been discharged from the hospital and the four children were with their father. Miller had been charged on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, while further court proceedings were not detailed in the reports reviewed Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated October 27, 2026.