MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach police said when officers checked on two young children living at a Mid-Beach apartment on Thursday, they found them alone and living in disgusting conditions.
They said that led them to arrest their 34-year-old mother on two child neglect charges.
An arrest report states that the ex-husband of Miriam Shvetz called police to her unit in the Ocean 36 North Condominium, located at 3600 Collins Ave., after he dropped off the children at around noon, aged 5 and 9, “and was notified by the children that the mother was not home.”
He later told investigators that he had confirmed with Shvetz that he was dropping the children off and “she did not communicate with him that she was not going to be home,” it states. Police said their third child, a 7-year-old, was at school.
A responding officer arrived and “heard a child on a video phone call talking and crying” to Shvetz, police said.
Police said the officer spoke to Shvetz over the phone and she said her ex dropped the children off when she wasn’t home and couldn’t get back home “because she had things to do.”
“Officers noted that the apartment smelled of rotting food and urine. The walls and floors were filthy and the kitchen had old food and dirty dishes scattered throughout, with flies and insects,” the report states. “One of the toilets was clogged and full of old urine and feces. Feces (were) also scattered throughout the bathroom floor.”
Investigators said the woman’s ex told them that Shvetz, the primary parent, did not enroll the 5-year-old and 9-year-old in school and told them that Shvetz said she had “no plans” to enroll them.
“He was added to the children’s school to be able to enroll them and is working on doing so,” the report states.
Police said they’ve dealt with Shvetz at least four times related to the ongoing custody dispute since 2023.
As of Friday, Shvetz was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
