Florida's police authorities discovered a dead toddler floating in a pond in Sanford city. Now, the 3-year-old's parents are both facing manslaughter charges.
The Sanford Police Department said that they received reports of a missing toddler at the Crosny at Towne Center apartments on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Florida: Police Finds Dead Toddler Floating in Pond
According to Fox News' latest report, SPD officials said that the toddler was reported to be missing at 3:15 p.m. The 3-year-old's father, Lester Ortiz, said that the toddler was last seen 30 minutes before cops and investigators arrived.
Meanwhile, Barbara Luiz, the toddler's mother, said that she was in the bathroom at around 12:40 p.m. while her son was in the living room. She added that there she somehow heard the door opening and closing.
Because of this, her teenage daughter decided to check who accessed the door. However, the teen forgot that the toddler was left unattended. When the toddler was nowhere to be found, Barbara and Lester started searching for their son.
But, it seems like this scenario happened more than once before as investigators revealed that they had received reports, claiming that the toddler went missing at least three times before the latest incident.
In one of these missing incidents, a neighbor reportedly found the boy and brought him to the front office of the Sanford Police Department.
Unfortunately, the latest incident is a tragic one since the lifeless toddler was discovered in a nearby pond behind the apartment where the parents are living.
Toddler's Parents Charged With Manslaughter
Fox 35 Orlando reported that the toddler was taken to the hospital. But, the boy was pronounced dead at 4:12 p.m.
"They pulled up the child and threw him on a stretcher. We watched them perform CPR," said Corey Sanger, a resident of the Crosby Towne Center.
"I'm infuriated. I'm not a father but I can't imagine having my child leave my sight," he added.
After that, police authorities arrested both Lester and Barbara. When they visited the parents' apartment, investigators said that they smelled "freshly smoked marijuana."
Aside from this, the apartment was also in a state of disarray. This provided hints that the parents were smoking joints, leaving them unattentive when it came to keeping their toddler safe.
Because of this, both parents were arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.