A Florida woman is behind bars after police say she left a 9-year-old boy alone at a Cantonment home for over a week without water or electricity.
Pensacola News Journal reports that Autumn Lee Beede, 39, is facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving the young boy to fend for himself from February 5 until February 14. The relationship between the woman and the boy is unclear.
According to court documents, two witnesses told police about the incident. While the first witness reportedly said the child had been left at home alone without an adult, the second witness said they noticed the home’s unsuitable condition after the boy asked for a bottle of water.
When a deputy arrived at the residence, he noticed a “the heavy odor of fecal matter” and a filthy home. The child told the deputy he had been home alone since the woman’s arrest on February 5 but hadn’t actually seen Beede in person since December 23.
The boy added that he didn’t have any water after it was shut off for non-payment.
The boy reportedly said that he had been asking friends and neighbors for food and water. He added that Beede dropped food off for him on the front porch of the home on February 14. He said the woman never came inside and he didn’t see her, but a friend told him he spotted the woman.
Beede was arrested but has since bailed out on $5,000, court records show. It’s unclear where the child is now living.
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[Feature Photo: Autumn Beede/Police Handout]
