Parents charged with neglect after leaving toddler at park

HAVERHILL, Fla. (FOX 13) - Deputies in South Florida have charged the parents of a little girl who had been left alone for 14 hours in a park.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office arrested Makenson and Jolanda Alexandre on Saturday, after the couple left their toddler behind in a park in Haverhill the previous night.

Investigators said the couple did not realize they left the child in the park around 7 p.m. Friday. The girl's mother reported her toddler missing at 11:40 a.m. Saturday.

Deputies found the girl wandering the park alone, and canvassed the area in search of her parents to no avail.

The child is in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. The sheriff's office said DCF has also removed seven other children from the couple's home.

Both parents were arrested and charged with one count of child neglect.