Nationwide — Nathalie Belizaire, a 29-year-old African American mother from North Miami Beach, Florida, was arrested after she reportedly left her four young children home alone while she took a three-night cruise to the Bahamas. The children included a 2-month-old baby and a 2-year-old, and police found them without an adult at their home. She now faces four felony counts of child neglect.
The children were found on September 26, a day after their mom boarded the Carnival Conquest in Miami, according to the New York Post. Lether Bazile, the father of the infant, told investigators that she had previously said she planned to leave the children with their great-grandmother. But when Bazile went to the home, he heard children inside and saw that the television was on. He then contacted police after realizing the children appeared to be without an adult.
Officers who arrived at the home found the children hiding in a bathroom. Their grandmother, Denise Wilkes, told police that Belizaire had said she would bring the children to her but never showed up. Belizaire’s brother, Steven Borgella, also told investigators that she had texted him that same day and asked him to check on the children. The ages of the other two children have not been released.
Belizaire returned to Miami aboard the cruise ship and was arrested on September 28 as she got off at the Port of Miami. She declined to speak with police. During a court hearing, her attorney argued that the claim that she left the children alone for the cruise was still only an allegation. The lawyer also said Belizaire denied the accusation.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer questioned the circumstances during the hearing, noting that Belizaire was arrested as she stepped off the cruise ship. The judge also expressed concern about the children being left without an adult. Belizaire was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. Her bond was set at $10,000, and she was ordered to stay away from the children.
The case is not Belizaire’s first recent arrest. In January 2025, she was arrested and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly pepper-spraying a neighbor in the face. Investigators said she believed the neighbor was harassing her daughter. That case is separate from the current child neglect charges, which stem from the allegations that she left her four children alone while taking the Bahamas cruise.