Florida babysitter arrested: Autistic child found wandering at night

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Published  May 27, 2026 2:23 PM EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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The Brief

    • An Orange County babysitter was arrested and charged with third-degree felony child neglect after a non-verbal, autistic child was left unattended in the Oak Ridge community, deputies say. 
    • Deputies responded to the scene early Saturday morning to find the distressed child wandering entirely alone near an active roadway.
    • While the child's exact age and the caregiver's location during the incident have not been released, the suspect was booked into the Orange County jail without further incident.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida babysitter is accused of leaving a child unattended, which led to the child wandering close to an active roadway, deputies say. 

Authorities claim the babysitter – identified as Lakyah Carter, 20 – willfully neglected the child.  

What we know:

On May 25th at approximately 1:54 a.m., a 20-year-old babysitter was arrested for leaving a non-verbal autistic child unsupervised in Oak Ridge, FL.

Orange County deputies identified the caregiver as Lakyah Elizabeth Carter. According to authorities, Carter is being charged with child neglect – a third-degree felony in Florida – after the child was discovered entirely unattended and in distress and exposed to dangerous vehicle traffic. 

What we don't know:

Authorities have not identified the child's age. It's also not known where the babysitter was at the time of the incident and who found the child. 

What's next:

Carter was taken into custody and transported to the Orange County Booking and Receiving Center without incident.

The Source: Information in this story was written by Emily Reliquias and gathered from the Orange County Sheriff's office. 

Crime and Public Safety