HIALEAH, Fla. (WKRC) — A Florida mother is accused of chaining her 13-year-old daughter to a fence outside a home in Hialeah before leaving the child in the summer heat without food or water, according to police.
Yashira Marie Maldonado, 34, was arrested in connection with the July 11 incident and has since been released on bond.
Yashira Marie Maldonado is accused of chaining her 13-year-old daughter to a fence outside a Hialeah home before leaving her in the sun without food or water, according to police. (WFOR/CBS Newspath)
According to an arrest report, officers said Maldonado drove her daughter to a home on West 63rd Street shortly before 10 a.m. She allegedly wrapped a metal chain around the girl’s waist, secured the other end to a fence and left the child outside with a clear backpack, clothing and medication.
Police said the girl had no shelter from the sun and was left without food or water before Maldonado drove away.
Investigators said a witness, identified in the arrest report as the girl’s great-grandmother, told police she received a text message from Maldonado at about 9:10 a.m. that read, “I got fired from my job.”
Ring doorbell video from a neighboring home reportedly captured Maldonado arriving at the residence before the child was allegedly chained to the fence.
A neighbor who asked not to be identified told WFOR the incident was “very disturbing.”
“That’s very disturbing. It’s sad. I don’t know what happened in there, but yeah, it’s sad,” the neighbor told WFOR.
Another neighbor, Armando Calzadilla, whose name was not independently confirmed, told WFOR the allegations were unacceptable.
“That is unacceptable, and it deserves to be punished,” Calzadilla told WFOR.
Police said Maldonado and her daughter live at an apartment complex on West 28th Street. A neighbor there, Arlene Gomez, identified Maldonado as a resident of the complex.
“I’m just dumbfounded about what happened because I never thought that woman would do such a thing,” Gomez told WFOR.
The case remains under investigation.