Baby abandoned at Florida beach found 'cold to the touch' by bystanders; mother arrested
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A woman visiting Florida from out-of-state was arrested after her baby was found "unresponsive" and "cold to the touch" at a Volusia County beach, officials said.
Shamika Mitchell, 37, of Detroit, Michigan, was arrested by deputies and taken to the Volusia County Jail on a felony charge of child neglect.
On Nov. 10, a search began for the 1-year-old boy off Halifax Avenue in Daytona Beach after Mitchell's teenage son questioned her about his baby brother's whereabouts.
Mitchell reportedly left her car – which had three other children inside – and walked off with the baby, an affidavit stated. She did not return with the child.
Shamika Mitchell (Photo via Volusia Sheriff's Office)
Mitchell stated she had given the baby to his father after meeting up with him at a nearby convenience store, but the son questioned the claim because the father of the child lived in Detroit, an arrest affidavit stated.
It was later learned Mitchell had intentionally left the baby unsupervised at the beach, an affidavit stated.
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The baby boy was later found at Main Street and Ocean Avenue in the care of four bystanders who were attempting to warm the "unresponsive" child, deputies said. They removed his wet diaper in an attempt to warm and dry him, according to an incident report.
The deputy took the child – who was "shivering" and had "an elevated pulse" – to the inside of his patrol car and worked to warm the child until medical personnel arrived.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the baby's condition is unknown.
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) took custody of the three other children for the night. They were later handed over to their grandparents who traveled from Michigan to Florida to get them.
Mitchell remains in the Volusia County Jail on a $50,000 bond.