Inset: Miriam Shvetz (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department). Background: The defendant”s condo building in Miami Beach, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida woman was recently arrested after her two young children were found living alone and in squalor, Sunshine State police allege.
Miriam Shvetz, 34, stands accused of two counts of child neglect with no great harm, according to Miami-Dade county court records.
On Thursday, police were called to the defendant’s condominium on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach – a medium-sized island city along the Atlantic coast which is part of the broader Miami metro area.
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The 911 call was made by the defendant’s ex-husband after he dropped off two of their children, according to an arrest report obtained by local independent TV station WPLG.
The children – a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old – were taken to their mother’s residence around noon that day and the father “was notified by the children that the mother was not home,” police say.
The father, for his part, told police this was news to him. He had talked with Shvetz earlier and “she did not communicate with him that she was not going to be home,” according to the arrest report.
Upon arrival, one of the responding officers allegedly “heard a child on a video phone call talking and crying” to their mother.
That officer then allegedly spoke with the defendant. In turn, Shvetz allegedly confirmed her ex-husband was responsible for dropping the children off – and allegedly said she was unable to return home immediately “because she had things to do.”
Then there was the alleged state of things in the condo itself.
“Officers noted that the apartment smelled of rotting food and urine,” the arrest report reads. “The walls and floors were filthy and the kitchen had old food and dirty dishes scattered throughout, with flies and insects. One of the toilets was clogged and full of old urine and feces. Feces (were) also scattered throughout the bathroom floor.”
A custody dispute between the defendant her ex-husband has been ongoing since 2023, police said. The couple filed for divorce in 2022, court records show. Law enforcement say they have been called to the woman’s home multiple times in relation to the custody dispute.
In a discussion with investigators, the father of the two children found at home said their mother had not enrolled them in school and had “no plans” to do so. Meanwhile, the former couple’s third child, a 7-year-old, is, in fact, enrolled at school, according to law enforcement.
“He was added to the children’s school to be able to enroll them and is working on doing so,” the arrest report says – in reference to the father and the 5-year-old and 9-year-old.
The defendant was arrested on Thursday. She has since been released from the Miami-Dade County Jail after posting bond.
Her arraignment is slated for Sept. 19.
