Woman arrested after two preschool children were found wandering alone around apartment complex

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brittany Renee Ramos, 23, was arrested yesterday after a caller reported that two young children were wandering alone around the Crossings at Santa Fe apartment complex (3205 NW 83rd St).

At about 10:34 a.m. on Saturday, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about a one-year-old and three-year-old who were found wandering around the complex.

The deputy reported that the three-year-old was “covered in dirt” from what appeared to be sand from the volleyball court, her clothes were dirty, and she was “covered with gnats.” The one-year-old was also “covered in volleyball court sand” and had a full diaper and brown smears on his clothes that appeared to be feces. The deputy noted that the children were walking around eating corn cobs and had no other food or water, although the temperature was in the mid-80s.

The woman who had called 911 reportedly told the deputy that she had found the children around 10:30 a.m. Deputies went door-to-door trying to find the parents but were unsuccessful. A witness reportedly told the deputies that the children had also been seen at around 9 a.m.

At about 11:30 a.m., Ramos reportedly drove up and said she was responsible for the children. Deputies reported that Ramos had also gone to the main office of the complex at about 11:23 a.m., asking to see camera footage.

Post Miranda, Ramos reportedly said she had left her apartment at about 7:30 a.m. to attend a court hearing and had left the children in the care of another resident of the apartment; she said that person was awake and cleaning the apartment when she left.

A detective and a deputy went to the apartment and spoke with the other resident, who reportedly said she was sleeping when Ramos left and that Ramos had not awakened her before leaving or asked her to watch the children. She said she woke up around 11:30, when Ramos “stormed” into her room, asking where the children were. Ramos and the woman both reportedly said the children had not been fed corn for dinner the previous night.

After speaking with the other resident of the apartment, deputies went back to Ramos, who reportedly acknowledged that the other resident had been asleep when she left and that she just assumed she would care for the children.

Ramos has been charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm; the arrest report notes that the children got out of the apartment and wandered around the complex for an unknown period of time; they also found corn cobs, either in the trash or on the ground, and ate them.

Ramos has no criminal history; she has been released from the Alachua County Jail.

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.