Women charged with child neglect after allegedly leaving four children under the age of 5 alone

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Shanperia Ganay Fayson, 28, and Jaliyah Lashae Williams, 25, were arrested early Sunday morning after officers responded to a call about a young child who was outside yelling for help.

At about 11:08 p.m. Saturday night, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to an undisclosed location, where a witness said she had found a five-year-old child outside alone, yelling for help and looking for her mother. The witness said she waited about 15 minutes to see if a parent returned before calling 911.

Officers were directed to a specific apartment, where they reportedly found the door wide open. Inside the apartment, they reportedly found three other children sleeping, ranging in age from two to five years old; there were no adults in the apartment.

Shortly after the officers found the unsupervised sleeping children, Fayson and Williams reportedly drove into the apartment complex. When officers made contact with them, they both reportedly claimed that they did not live at the apartment where the children had been found. After being questioned repeatedly, both reportedly admitted that the children were theirs and that Williams lived at the apartment.

Post Miranda, Fayson declined to answer any questions.

Post Miranda, Williams reportedly admitted that the women had left the children unattended while visiting a friend; she said they were only unatttended for about five minutes.

Both women have been charged with four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.

Fayson has two misdemeanor convictions (one violent). She has been released on her own recognizance.

Williams was convicted in 2023 of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes; adjudication of guilt was withheld, and she completed her six-month sentence of probation in January 2024 after taking a parenting class. She has been 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. 

  • They should not be allowed to have children. I suppose they also live in Section 8 housing with a full complement of social services.

  • Probably out spending their $8,000 IRS “refunds” on booze and weed. Too busy to care about their children, they only spawn them for more $$$.

  • Two choices for gainesville’s parents of the year. It’s amazing that people will do anything but pay attention to their own flesh and blood. And these two will question what went wrong with their kids when they go bad later in life.

  • I guess they figured since daddy didn’t have to be there neither did they.

    You want birth control? Keep your feet on the floor.

  • They seriously sat there and denied their innocent children? What were they expecting, the cops to eventually leave and they could resume their reunion?
    Clearly those “parenting” classes are working…. I mean, just 2 months ago she graduated a very long, and super harsh 6 month probation and a few classes once a week.
    Why were the children even released back in her care so quickly?

  • Instead of a District 1 Cultural Center, they need a giant foster home and sterility clinic.

  • These babes can’t wait to become “Insta-famous” when their kids get kidnapped and they can go on national tv and plead for help getting their precious babies back (mind you, they will only go on tv after they have styled their weaves, put on their falsies, slutted up the look, etc…then they will beg and plead for the good Lord to return their dear babies to them. Oh, and a Go Fund Me donation wouldn’t hurt, either)

    • Where on god’s green earth did you come up with this information lmao

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