Articles labeled: Florida

A 2-year-old girl in Florida was killed after the Burmese Python her family kept as a pet got hold of the child and bit and strangled her.

The dangers of owning an exotic pet became all too real for one mother today as her boyfriend’s pet snake kills her baby girl. Sumter County Sheriff’s authorities confirm that a 8 1/2 foot-long Burmese python snake killed the mother’s 2-year-old girl after the snake escaped from its container and attacked the baby in her room.

Two-year-old baby Shaiunna Hare was pronounced dead on Wednesday morning after Sumter County Sherriff’s Office received an emergency call that a snake killed a baby.

The owner of the Burmese python snake is Charles Jason Darnell. Darnell, 32, who lives in the home with the baby’s mother, Jaren Hare, 19, reportedly told investigators that he put the python in a bag before putting it into a glass cage Tuesday night.

Obviously prosecutors know more than what has been released to the public, as they’ve filed paperwork seeking the death penalty in the trial of Casey Anthony, accused of murdering her daughter, Caylee.

A new tip has brought hope to the family of Haleigh Cummings, a Florida girl who went missing two weeks ago.

The father of a missing Florida girl is pleading for her return and promised “no revenge” if she was found safe.

Just when you think the case of Casey and Caylee Anthony cannot get any stranger or tragic, Casey Anthony’s father was found in a hotel room today after being reported missing by the family. Apparently the loss of his grandchild has proven to be too much. I always thought there had to be more to the family’s guilt and suffering behind closed doors than what they lead the public to believe.

One has to wonder, would it be easier for them to simply come to terms with their daughter’s guilt than continuing to live in denial, perpetuating and entertaining the lies of a sociopath.

MT’s advice?…the truth will set you free.

The grandfather of murdered Orlando girl Caylee Anthony is being evaluated at a hospital after he was reported missing and sent messages to his family that he wanted to end his life.

George Anthony was found early Friday morning at a motel in Volusia County, Fla., with a suicide note after disappearing a day earlier. Family attorney Brad Conway said in a 911 call released Friday that Anthony left home with several bottles of medication and some photographs.

“We’re worried that he’s done something to himself,” Conway told the dispatcher.

A man accused of carjacking is also being charged with assault for punching a child during the crime. He supposedly did it to keep the baby from crying — because nothing calms a kid down like a good ol’ punch, that’s for sure…

Times are tight, but there certainly have to be better options than breaking into a home and holding a gun to a baby’s head.

The victims said three men wearing masks and carrying guns burst into their home in the 16900 block of Bay Avenue in Montverde at 12:33 a.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Office records show. The men threatened and pistol-whipped residents Anthony Kemp, 25, and Candy Richardson, 20.

The couple told investigators they became terrified when one of the suspects held a gun to the side of their 1-year-old baby girl’s head.

“If they didn’t give them money, they were going to shoot the child,” Cpl. James Vachon of the sheriff’s office said.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has ordered authorities to reopen the case of numerous children that disappeared from a boys’ school 50 years ago.

A group of men in their 60s, who once attended the school, have told investigators they believe the bodies are classmates who disappeared after being savagely beaten by administrators and workers.

The FDLE is just beginning its investigation, so there is no way to know if there is any truth to the allegations. The investigation will be challenging. Finding records and witnesses from nearly half a century ago will be difficult if not impossible. Many of the administrators and employees of the reform school are dead. Read more about the investigation

Middleton is 64 now, a former Army Ranger. He was 14 then, a wayward boy. He was sent to the Florida School for Boys for breaking and entering.

He recently accompanied CNN to the school grounds.

Investigators have announced that more human remains have been found near the home of missing toddler, Caylee Anthony.

Caylee was 2 years old when she went missing in June. She and her mother shared a house with her grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony, less than a quarter mile from where the bones were found.

Detectives did not give details about the bones found over the weekend but continued to sift through dirt in a wooded area, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

An Orange County water-meter reader found the skull and other remains in a black plastic bag on Nov.11, the first major break in the case in months.

An infant who survived an alleged four hour abuse session from her father is on the road to recovery.

The child’s father, Geoffrey Scott Hutson, will next be in court for his arraignment in early January. He’s facing charges of cruelty toward child.

Cape Coral police tell WINK News Hutson admitting to “losing it” and beating his child over a four hour period. Hutson confessed to hitting his daughter with his open hand, squeezing her, throwing her in her crib, hitting her head against the bathtub, a ceiling fan. He also admitted to throwing his daughter the length of the bed into an Iron headboard, twice.

A searcher who has found human remains says that the body is likely missing girl Caylee Anthony.

Tim Miller, the founder and director of EquuSearch, said the remains “appear to be Caylee, but with any case, we have to wait until a positive ID is made.”

“It looks like finally it’s over with,” Miller said.

Orange County deputies said a meter reader found the remains of a young child this morning in the area of S. Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive — less than 1/4 mile from the Anthonys’ home on Hopespring Drive. Spokesman Jim Solomons of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the remains were found in a bag.

A Florida woman has been arrested because her daughter has skipped school too many times.

The unidentified woman was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after her ninth-grade daughter had 59 unexcused absences. Alachua County’s school attendance review board then filed a petition.

Alachua County Sheriff’s spokesman Art Forgey says it’s the first case in a while where a parent has been charged. He said the board is also reviewing other cases that could bring charges.

Florida requires attendance after 15 unexcused absences. District officials must then follow a process to work with parents to get their children to attend school.

Charles Hall, the district’s director for dropout prevention, says prosecution is a last resort.

A man in Cape Coral, Florida has been arrested and charged with cruelty to a child after police found his son driving his pickup truck.

Cape Coral police arrested 27-year-old Joshua James Fagan last week, after seeing a pickup truck drive onto a median. When officers stopped the truck, Fagan told them he was teaching his son to drive.

Officers say the father’s speech was slurred, his breath smelled of alcohol and he unable to stand without swaying. Police say an open case of Budweiser beer was in the backseat.

No, there aren’t cougars wandering wild on South Beach.

A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman says the girl sustained some significant wounds Saturday and she was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Miami-Dade police say 21-year-old Anthony Zitnick, a friend of the girl, illegally entered the wildlife collector’s home with the girl and was later arrested. Inside, the 150-pound male cougar, named Chaos, pounced on the girl and clenched his jaws around her head.

Authorities say neighbor Richard Miralles heard screams and wrestled the animal away. Wildlife officials say the owner of the home has legal permits to keep two cougars and several snakes, tortoises and alligators.

A 21-year-old woman has been arrested after police searched for her for days in connection to a stabbing of 5 teens at a high school football game.

Melanie Vanessa Mitchell is charged with one count of aggravated battery with a weapon for the incident that occurred at Martin County High School.

Her friends and family said the fight was a misunderstanding and that Mitchell was just trying to protect herself.

However, some of the victims who spoke to WPBF News 25’s Angela Rozier told a different story.

“I don’t know why she pulled out a knife on us because I think if she went there with the knife, I think she knew that she was going to fight us,” said Shana Simmons, one of the victims.