Florida Toddler Found Wandering Alone at Night as Parents Arrested on Child Neglect Charges

A two-year-old child was found wandering in the middle of a roadway late at night in Osceola County, Florida, before the child's parents were arrested on child neglect without great bodily harm charges, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

The toddler was found at about 11:39pm on Saturday, 26 September, near Jones Road and Talisi Loop. A driver who spotted the child walking in the roadway, stopped and brought the toddler to safety before calling 911.

According to information from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the driver found the child in the middle of Jones Road, helped get him out of the roadway and contacted authorities.

Toddler Found Walking in Roadway

When deputies responded to the 911 call, the two-year-old was already with the driver who had brought him to safety. The child appeared frightened and was crying as deputies attempted to determine where the toddler had come from.

Deputies then searched the surrounding area for the child's home and family. The officers found an open front door at a property in the 600 block of Talisi Loop, but nobody was inside.

Later, the child's father was identified as 36-year-old Johnny Jean Baptiste. According to reports, deputies contacted him by telephone, but he hung up during the call.

Nearly an hour later, Jean Baptiste and the child's mother, 32-year-old Stacia McMillian, returned to the residence shortly after 12:30am.

Capt. Kim Montes of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said both parents were uncooperative when deputies dealt with them. Reports do not explain why the child was left alone or where the parents were when he was found.

Parents Arrested on Child Neglect Charges

Jean Baptiste and McMillian were arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail on charges of child neglect without great bodily harm. The charge relates to the circumstances in which the toddler was found, but the available reports do not establish that either parent intentionally left the child unattended.

The arrests represent allegations at this stage, and the available reports do not provide details of any subsequent court proceedings.

The case also remains limited in terms of what is publicly known about the events inside the home before the child was discovered. Authorities have not publicly established how long the toddler had been outside or whether anyone else was present at the residence before deputies arrived.

Family Member Takes Custody of Toddler

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) was notified following the incident. A family member subsequently took custody of the toddler after DCF was contacted.

Reports do not identify the family member or provide further details about the custody arrangement. It is also unclear from the available reports whether the arrangement was temporary or whether further decisions about the child's care were expected.

The incident began when a driver spotted the two-year-old on Jones Road near Talisi Loop and called 911. The driver remained with the child until deputies arrived, allowing authorities to begin searching for his family.

Deputies subsequently located the nearby residence and began investigating how the toddler had ended up alone on the road.

Jean Baptiste and McMillian were later arrested on child-neglect charges. The available reports do not provide further details about what happened inside the home before the child was found or how the toddler got outside.

The case highlights the sequence of events that led authorities to intervene: a young child was found alone on a public roadway late at night, a nearby residence was identified, and the child's parents were subsequently located and arrested.