Florida Mom Arrested After 5-Year-Old Found Wandering Alone at Night While She ‘Ran Out to Target,’ Police Say
SANTA ROSA BEACH, FLORIDA — A 37-year-old Florida mother is facing criminal charges after her 5-year-old son was found wandering alone in the street at night while she was shopping at a Target store nearly 40 miles away, authorities said.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Maureen Elizabeth O’Neill on one count of child neglect without great bodily harm after deputies say she left her young child home unsupervised for several hours on October 16.
Child Found Wandering in the Roadway
Deputies were called to North Gulf Drive in Santa Rosa Beach after a concerned neighbor reported that a young boy had been found alone in the road by an older couple. The good Samaritans brought the boy to the neighbor’s apartment and called 911.
The neighbor told dispatchers he recognized the boy as O’Neill’s son, went to check her residence, and found the front door unlocked but no adult present. He texted O’Neill around 6:41 p.m., telling her that her child had been found trying to cross the street and urging her to call him “as soon as possible.”
Disturbing Texts From the Mother
Instead of rushing home, O’Neill allegedly sent bizarre and alarming text messages claiming that her son had been “chasing her with a knife.”
“He chased me around with a knife and said he was going to chop me into pieces. Every time I turned around he was holding a knife — I don’t know who he is,” she allegedly texted, according to the affidavit.
A few minutes later, O’Neill messaged the homeowners of the residence with another chilling claim:
“I told him to stay inside while I got help protecting myself. He kept grabbing a knife and saying very scary things about chopping me up in little pieces.”
She also claimed she was “reporting him because he needs help” and added, “It’s not the same kid — there’s something wrong with him.”
Police Say Mother Was at Target 40 Miles Away
When deputies tried contacting O’Neill, she allegedly responded that she was buying a new phone at Target in Panama City, nearly 40 miles from home.
“She stated she knew her son was safe with the neighbors after Paul messaged her, so she went to get a new phone while he was in their care,” the affidavit said.
Deputies ordered O’Neill to return home immediately. She arrived nearly 90 minutes later, claiming she had taken a wrong turn on her way back.
Charged With Child Neglect
In a post-Miranda interview, O’Neill told investigators that she left her son home alone around 5:30 p.m., insisting he had been calm before she left. However, authorities determined she “willfully and intentionally failed to provide the child with supervision and care that a prudent person would consider essential for the child’s safety.”
O’Neill was arrested and booked into the Walton County Jail, where she remains held on $2,500 bond. The boy was placed in safe care while child protective services were notified.
“It’s a miracle this child wasn’t injured or worse,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. “Leaving a 5-year-old alone at night is reckless and unacceptable.”
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