A 6-month-old Florida girl was hospitalized in critical condition after her 7-year-old brother found her unresponsive in a playpen, with doctors later determining that her blood alcohol concentration had reached 0.383, according to police records.
The incident happened Sept. 8 in the Port Richey area of Pasco County. According to an arrest affidavit, the girl’s brother returned home from school and noticed that she was not responding normally. Her parents, Jessie Waldroup, 36, and Desirae Uzunboylu, 27, were reportedly asleep in the living room at the time.
The boy alerted authorities, and the infant was taken to a children’s trauma hospital for treatment.
Medical personnel determined that the baby’s BAC was 0.383, a level associated with potentially fatal alcohol poisoning. Doctors also reported bruising on the infant’s abdomen, head and thigh that they described as highly suspicious for non-accidental trauma. Police records say medical staff believed the child might have died if help had been delayed.
Investigators traced the alcohol exposure to a beach trip
When investigators questioned the parents, both said they did not know how alcohol had entered their daughter’s system and denied using alcohol or drugs.
The investigation later focused on a family beach trip the day before the child was found unresponsive.
According to the affidavit, a family member acknowledged filling a water bottle with vodka before going to the beach. He told investigators that he placed the closed bottle inside his backpack. After spending time in the water, he returned to find that the bottle was no longer there.
Uzunboylu told investigators that it was possible Waldroup had accidentally used the vodka-filled bottle while preparing a bottle for the baby.
The couple’s 7-year-old son also told police that he had seen Waldroup give the infant a bottle during the beach trip.
Investigators later located the bottle used to feed the baby. The arrest affidavit states that officers detected a strong alcoholic odor coming from it.
Parents face felony child neglect charges
Waldroup and Uzunboylu were arrested Sept. 17 and face child-neglect charges related to the incident. Current arrest information lists the charge against Uzunboylu as neglect of a child with great bodily harm under Florida law, with a $10,000 bond.
Both parents have since posted bond and were released from the Pasco County Jail. A current report also says court records indicate they are prohibited from having contact with the child while the case proceeds.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing criminal case. An arrest or criminal charge does not establish guilt, and the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.
The case has raised serious questions about how the infant was exposed to alcohol and about the injuries documented by medical staff. Further court proceedings are expected to provide more information about the circumstances surrounding the child’s hospitalization.
