A heartbreaking incident in Volusia County, Florida has drawn public attention after a 6-year-old girl and her dog were found alone in a neighbor’s carport near Vann Park.
The child was hot, thirsty, and wearing no underwear when a concerned woman discovered her on Friday afternoon. What followed was a troubling story of homelessness, child neglect, and abandonment.
Girl Found Sitting Alone With Her Dog
The woman who found the child had earlier seen the girl and her dog wandering in her front yard. Later, she was shocked to find them both sitting on a chair in her carport. When the child said she was “hot, thirsty, and hungry,” the woman immediately contacted the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office around 4:30 p.m.
While waiting for deputies to arrive, the woman and a neighbor showed kindness by giving the child food, water, toys, and even clean underwear, as she had none on at the time.
What Was the Girl Carrying?
According to the arrest affidavit, the child had a small backpack with a few basic items, including:
- A blanket
- A marker
- A Medicaid card
- A toilet bowl cleaner used as a brush
- A black dog tag tied to her dress
Emergency responders from Deltona Fire Rescue checked her vitals and confirmed that she was physically okay.
Police Bodycam Footage Tells More
Authorities later released bodycam footage of the girl’s interaction with deputies, which was shared by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. In the footage, the girl could not confirm where she lived but said her mother’s name was Aquania. She told deputies that she was dropped off at the park that morning because her parents “needed to charge their cell phones.”
She also shared that her family was homeless, did not have a proper home, and she was not attending school. She said their shelter leaked when it rained and that she was often allowed to walk to stores alone.
Child and Dog Placed in Safe Custody
The little girl was taken to the Volusia Family Resource Center, where she was safely reunited with her grandparents, who agreed to take custody of her. Her dog was handed over to Deltona Animal Control.
Parents Tracked Down and Arrested
More than eight hours after the initial report, police located the girl’s mother, Aquania Estes (27), and her boyfriend, Pitrez Floyd (29), around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Deputies were stunned to learn the family had been living in the woods, where they found two tents used as makeshift shelters.
In the bodycam footage, one officer angrily asked, “You leave your kid on the side of the road?” Estes told the deputies they were going through hard times and claimed the child had left the shelter on her own while they were looking for food and water.
Both Estes and Floyd were arrested and charged with child desertion and animal abandonment. They are each being held on a $51,000 bond.