A Florida mother chained her 13-year-old daughter to a fence and left her outside in the heat and unattended because the mother said she was “overwhelmed” and “wanted a break,” police said.
Yashira Marie Maldonado, 34, drove her daughter from the apartment they share to her mother’s nearby home in Hialeah about 10 a.m. July 11. Maldonado wrapped a metal chain around her daughter’s wrists and tied the other end of the chain to a fence outside the home “restricting her from moving around,” according to an arrest report.
“The defendant left the victim outside where she had no cover from the sun, and no food or water,” the report read.
Maldonado left a backpack filled with clothing, diapers, wipes and medication before leaving the home. She put her phone on silent and returned home.
“The defendant choose to intentionally ignore her phone and went home to lay in bed and watch TV,” the arrest reported stated. “The defendant stated she knows what she did looks bad and is wrong. The defendant said she was overwhelmed with the care of the victim and wanted a break.”
Maldonado was arrested on charges of child abuse and child neglect.
How police were led to Florida girl, 13, chained to fence by mom
Maldonado chained her daughter to a fence outside a home her mother, the teen’s grandmother, lives at.
Once Maldonado left the scene, she texted her mother that she got fired from her job and that the teen was outside the grandmother’s house. The grandmother saw her granddaughter chained to the fence and unsuccessfully tried to free her.
She said she did not contact police because she was worried her landlord would evict her. Instead, the grandmother went to her daughter’s home and pleaded with her to return to and free the teen.
At that point, police arrived to question Maldonado. The teen was found after about an hour in “good health.”
Maldonado told police she knew what she was doing was wrong and “looks bad,” but she did it for safety to prevent her from leaving.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida mom ‘wanted break’ from daughter, 13, so she chained her to fence
Reporting by Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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By Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
