Mother arrested after Carnival Conquest Bahamas trip in child-neglect case
Authorities detained Nathalie Belizaire at PortMiami after police found four children without adult supervision at a North Miami Beach residence.
Nathalie Belizaire, 29, faces four child-neglect counts after allegedly leaving four minors, including a 2-month-old baby and a 2-year-old child, while she traveled to the Bahamas. Her attorney has denied the allegations and rejected the police account.
According to police and an arrest affidavit, the children were found together in a bathroom at the residence. The baby’s father called 911 on Saturday, the 26th, after arriving at the apartment, noticing that the television was on and hearing the children. Miami-Dade police officers and firefighters then forced entry to assist them.
Authorities identified a ticket for a three-day Bahamas sailing aboard Carnival Conquest that departed September 25. Investigators waited at PortMiami for Belizaire’s return on Monday, the 28th. Customs and Border Protection agents took her into custody before transferring her to North Miami Beach Police.
At a court appearance Tuesday, September 29, bail was set at $10,000, and Belizaire was ordered to stay away from the children. She later posted bail and was released, according to a report. The children were safe in temporary custody, and the case remained open.