Miami Police released 911 calls Tuesday in the case of four children who were removed from a home after authorities found them living in filth.
One caller told the operator he saw a girl outside of a store with her father, both with injuries.
“There’s a little girl here, aqui en el Firestone by the Walgreens on 12th and Flagler, and she has a black eye, her daddy has a black eye,” he said.
When asked about what caused their conditions, the caller further described the scene.
“I don't know,” he answered. “And the little girl is begging for money and her daddy is f***ing high on heroin.”
Another caller said the father lacked motor skills.
“And he's making her sell candy that she just bought from the store outside of the store, and he can’t even say his name,” she said. “He can’t stand up, he can’t write a number, I mean this is really bad. That child is in danger.”
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On Aug. 8, the Department of Children and Families removed four children from a filthy West Flagler Street apartment where police also found a broken crack pipe and used needles. Their parents were arrested following an undercover investigation.
The children’s mother, 31-year-old Renee Marie Garcia, is facing charges including prostitution, child abuse with no great harm and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver or sell. Their 35-year-old father, Gabriel DeJesus Orellana, also faces child abuse and drug paraphernalia charges.
Police said they found no evidence that the children were being sexually exploited, despite an initial report.
“With the detectives’ thorough investigation, it has been cleared that there has not been any child molestation,” Miami Police spokesman Sgt. Freddie Cruz said. “These children were not being prostituted as originally thought.”
The couple’s children are currently in the custody of their grandmother and uncle in Broward County.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Garcia’s case was set for Aug. 31. She and her attorney had no comment outside of the courtroom, but the mother told NBC 6 South Florida that the family was “fine” as she entered a car.
“The kids are fine,” she said. “We're all innocent, I'm not guilty, we're fine."
