Mother arrested for child neglect after young children tell neighbor she’s dead

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Shalesia Janay Cave, 25, was arrested early this morning after two of her young children knocked on a neighbor’s door and said she was dead.

At about 1:02 a.m. on August 1, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve, where a witness said two of Cave’s children, 5 and 6 years old, had knocked on her door and said their mother was dead.

The neighbor quickly brought the children into her apartment, ran to Cave’s apartment to get Cave’s 10-month-old infant, and called 911.

The officer reportedly found Cave unclothed and unresponsive in her bathtub. The officer shook her and spoke loudly to her, and Cave gradually began responding but still seemed unaware of her surroundings. The officer reported that Cave started crying and talking, but she was slurring her words and could not be understood.

The neighbor said she saw the two children on her doorbell camera, visibly distraught, and when she entered Cave’s apartment, she only found Cave and the infant; she said Cave was the only person watching the children.

The officer reportedly told the children their mother was “just sleeping,” but it took some time for them to calm down.

Cave reportedly stated spontaneously that she had ignored her kids so they would go back to sleep.

Cave has been charged with three counts of child neglect without causing great bodily harm. She has no local criminal history; Judge Denise Ferrero ordered her released on her own recognizance.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.