Andrew Richard Sepulveda of Cutler Bay, Florida was arrested Wednesday after he was accused of leaving a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old home alone, news sources report. The home caught fire while Sepulveda was away, leaving the children with critical injuries. Sepulveda, 31, was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm. It is unclear whether he qualified for bail bond . It is also unclear whether he has obtained a criminal defense attorney.
According to reports, Sepulveda shares a home with the mother of the two victims, who, on occasion, pays Sepulveda to watch her children. On Wednesday, the children's mother left Sepulveda in charge of the kids while she went to work. At some point, reports say Sepulveda locked the two children in a room and left the home to go buy groceries.
While Sepulveda was away, a fire started in the bathroom next to the room in which the children were locked. It is still unclear what caused the fire. The two children trapped children were unable to escape the room and were asphyxiated by the smoke.
Someone alerted authorities of the blaze, and fire rescue teams extinguished the flames and rescued the children from the home. Paramedics loaded both kids onto a helicopter and flew them to the Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. "[The victims] were overcome with smoke," a fire rescue spokesperson said. "They were unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing. Fire rescue crews worked these kids feverishly and were able to return a pulse and a blood pressure to these children." Doctors said the children were not burned by the fire.
The victims' uncle, Moreese Moise, spoke with reporters following the tragic incident. "The kids weren't supposed to be alone. As I know, myself, the kids, [their mother] pays for this dude to watch them," Moise said. "Things happen, I understand that, I just hope they're OK." Moise said the children are on the road to recovery and showed marked improvements on Wednesday.
A detective investigating the fire commented, "What [Sepulveda] did, there's absolutely no excuse. It's clear based on his actions he's responsible for what occurred here today." Detectives say an investigation is ongoing and may produce additional charges based on what they may discover.
In other news, Cheryl Beauchamp was arrested in Palm Bay after she defecated in a homeowner's yard and swam in his pool, reports say. Beauchamp, 35, was booked into police custody on charges of criminal mischief and burglary. It is unclear whether she qualified for bail or attained legal representation.