John Jefferson
Azra Nikocevic and Sanel Canovic (Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation).
A Florida man and woman were arrested after cops allegedly found their five children alone in a home without food, electricity or a working toilet.
Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, are each facing five counts of child neglect without bodily harm, court records show. Miami Beach Police Department spokesman Christopher Bess told Law&Crime the investigation began Tuesday afternoon when a passerby in the 700 block of 15th Street — a high-traffic area — saw a 6-year-old boy crossing the street by himself. The passerby called 911, and cops found the little boy, who took them to his nearby apartment.
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What cops found was appalling — and landed the parents behind bars. Inside were four other children, all under 12, Bess said. There was no electricity, working toilet or food, according to Bess. The kids said they hadn’t eaten in over 12 hours and were hungry. Officers took the kids to the police station and fed them as they tried to track down the parents.
“They were nowhere to be found,” Bess said.
Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ obtained an arrest affidavit that further detailed the kids’ predicament. Officers noted that the toilet in the home was filled with feces. The kids allegedly told them that their parents had them take showers after using the bathroom since there was no toilet paper in the apartment. Cops recovered soiled rags in the bathroom. The kids wore soiled clothing and smelled of urine, per the affidavit.
They also said they were without electricity for about two months, the affidavit reportedly said. The oldest daughter explained how they usually ate breakfast and lunch at school, but since they were on Christmas break, they often had nothing to eat. Their mother reportedly left them $20 for food at McDonald’s before she went to work on Tuesday.
“The parents would frequently share a meal in the evening without providing food for the children,” the affidavit reportedly said. “They would often leave the children at home while they went out to dinner.”
Officers finally got ahold of the mother and told her to go to the police station. She explained they were behind on their bill, so the electricity shut off about six weeks ago. Nikocevic also confirmed that she gave her kids the $20 for food but had no way of knowing they actually ate anything because they could not contact her at work.
Canovic arrived at the police station but declined to speak with cops without a lawyer. Cops transported him to the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation facility, where he remains on a $7,500 bond. Nikocevic was released on her own recognizance. Their next court date is scheduled for Jan. 30.
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