DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A Michigan mother has been arrested after police said her 1-year-old son was found at a Florida beach alone.
NBC affiliate WESH reported that the mother’s teenage son called police Wednesday night after he became concerned about his brother’s safety.
“She sent my little brother somewhere, she said with his dad,” he told the dispatcher. “I keep telling her to show me proof, proof, but she’s not showing me proof.”
According to court documents the child’s mother, Shamika Mitchell said she met up with the 1-year-old’s dad and handed him the baby. However, the teen told officials that the baby’s father lives in Detroit, so he was “skeptical.”
The teen told the dispatcher that he asked his mom for proof because she had been having “little episodes lately,” and he thought she was “possessed by demons.”
According to WESH, beachgoers found the 1-year-old at Daytona Beach shivering and cold to the touch. They removed his wet diaper and took him up to Main Street to warm him up.
Deputies arrived, and the child was put in a patrol car. Authorities said he was unresponsive with a “shallow but elevated pulse.”
He was given to Volusia County paramedics. At this time, there is no update on the 1-year-old’s condition.
Authorities said three other children were with Mitchell. They were taken into DCF custody for the night while their grandparents drove down from Detroit, the news station reported.
Mitchell was charged with child neglect and aggravated child abuse. She is currently being held on a $50,000 bond.