Girl found wandering to stay in foster care

Girl's father Luis Bianchi charged with child neglect

MIAMI – A 4-year-old girl found wandering outside the apartment she lives in with her father will remain in foster care, a judge ruled Friday.

Luis Bianchi, the girl's father who was charged with child neglect Thursday, was calm as he stood before the judge.

The girl's mother, Liz Marie de Jesus Bones, was also in court. She ignored an 1 a.m. phone call Thursday from a Department of Children and Families investigator, saying she thought it was from Bianchi.

But when the judge pressed her, Bones admitted that she wasn't feeling well enough to answer.

Prosecutors didn't recommend placing the girl with the mother, citing her infrequent visits to see her daughter during the last year. They instead asked the judge to place the girl with Julia Escobar, a cousin who lives with Bianchi.

An attorney for Bianchi said he had removed the weapons from the home, and would move out if needed.

The judge decided to place the girl with her mother -- against the state's wishes -- pending a drug test. But Bone then tested positive for marijuana, and the judge decided to keep the girl in foster care.

Bone must undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations. The judge also ordered a home study for Bianchi and Escobar, who are second cousins and romantically involved.

The judge allowed Bianchi and Bone to see their daughter three times a week each during supervised visits.

According to an arrest affidavit, Bianchi left his daughter home alone at their apartment about 6 p.m. Wednesday because he was late for work. He previously spoke Bone, who said she was coming over.

Bianchi told police he left his daughter in front of the television, pushed a couch against the door leading to the room where the weapons were, and left the apartment, according to the arrest affidavit. He also said he locked the door.

Inside was a cache of weapons -- including several AR-15s -- sitting on the table, but no one was home. When officers entered the apartment, the couch wasn't completely blocking the door, detectives said.