Parents arrested after 5 kids found in Miami Beach apartment with no electricity, food

According to authorities, a mother and father were taken into custody after their five children were discovered sharing a dirty apartment in Miami Beach with just one bed, no food, electricity, or a functional toilet.

According to Miami-Dade jail records, Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, were taken into custody on Tuesday on five counts of neglecting a child without causing them significant bodily damage.

The finding was discovered after one of their children, a 6-year-old, was observed crossing the street in the 700 block of 15th Street on Tuesday afternoon, unattended, and in a busy area, according to arrest files.

The toddler was seen exiting an apartment building alone after a bystander reported it to the police. A 12-year-old, the couple’s eldest child, responded when the officers asked the boy where he lived and he showed them his residence in the 700 block of 15th Street.

The witness, who did not want to be named, told NBC6, “He told me that he wasn’t lost, that he knew where he lived, and I asked him if I could walk with him to his house just to make sure that he was going to be OK.”

According to the reports, officers discovered four additional children in the unit, which was without food, electricity, a functional bathroom, and a stove. The children all responded in the affirmative when the police inquired if they were hungry, stating that they hadn’t eaten since about ten o’clock the previous evening.

In addition, officers discovered that there was no toilet paper in the house, that the toilet had excrement and stagnant water, and that the kids admitted to taking showers after using the restroom. The kids also mentioned that they hadn’t had power for almost two months.

According to the reports, the children claimed they had no method of getting in touch with their mother, who they said worked at a hotel in Miami, and they were unaware of their father’s workplace.

Father instructed the kids

According to the daughter, the father instructed them, “You eat at school, so you don’t eat at home,” and the kids ate breakfast and lunch at school, according to the police.

She claimed that because their meals relied on their parents bringing food home, the children frequently went to bed hungry, especially during the holidays.

However, she also mentioned that their mother would occasionally leave them $20 to buy food, and she would purchase three McChicken sandwiches and two bacon cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.

“The parents would frequently share a meal in the evening without providing food for the children,” according to reports. “They would often leave the children at home while they went out to dinner.”

According to the reports, Nikocevic was contacted by officers, who then came to the police station and informed investigators that their apartment had been without electricity for around six weeks because they were behind on their account.

According to the claims, she reportedly acknowledged leaving $20 for the kids to buy snacks, but said she had no way of knowing if they had eaten because she couldn’t get in touch with them while at work.

According to the reports, Nikocevic denied depriving the children of food but claimed she is attempting to obtain food stamp help.

According to the accounts, Canovic later showed up at the police station and requested to be questioned in Croatian. The father invoked his right to counsel and had an officer translate for him.