YULEE, Fla. – An Ohio mother of three is now facing three counts of child abuse after Nassau County deputies said she left her three young children by themselves at a Florida Welcome Center.
Tanya Perez, 44, of Ohio was extradited to Florida Wednesday when she was arrested on a warrant for child abuse. The charges stem from an incident in March of last year after a Nassau County deputy warned Perez not to leave her three children at the Florida welcome center on Interstate 95, just south of the Florida-Georgia state line. All three children were under the age of 13.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, on March 22, 2023, a Nassau County deputy was dispatched to the welcome center for a wellness check after Perez’s estranged sister in Kissimmee told authorities that she received a text from Perez stating that Perez was traveling to Florida from Ohio with her three children, 9, 10, and 12 years old.
She said she feared her sister was going to leave the children at the welcome center by themselves and then drive back to Ohio.
The warrant states that when the deputy arrived at the welcome center, he located Perez’s SUV with her and her children still inside. According to the deputy, the children appeared to be OK.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney weighed in on the incident.
“Things could have happened to her little ones that are there without food, money, or the ability to care for themselves,” he said.
The warrant also states that the deputy explained to Perez why he was called to the welcome center to conduct a welfare check and asked if she was going to wait at the center until her sister arrived to take the children. The deputy said Perez told him she was going to wait.
Hours after the deputy left the welcome center, 911 dispatch received a call about Perez’s three young children sitting in the welcome center lobby by themselves with their bags. A welcome center employee told the deputy that before Perez left her children at the center, she asked the employee if it was OK to leave them there for a little while.
“She came in and talked to one of our representatives and asked if she could leave the kids. They would only be here for a few minutes,” a welcome center employee told News4JAX.
According to the warrant, the oldest child told the deputy that her mom said she had to go and then left them alone with no cellphone to contact a relative and no money to purchase food.
“We ended up calling the Sheriff’s Office. We felt so bad for them,” the employee said. “Nobody came for the kids. These little kids by themselves had suitcases. It was insane.”
Authorities eventually got in touch with the children’s biological father who said Perez had full custody of the children and that he was not aware that she and the children had moved to Ohio.
“What’s going on with this mom’s mind to leave her three children here on this very recognizable corridor that has been known for years as a hub for human trafficking,” Hackney said. “It’s one thing to abandon your kids, but it’s another thing to abandon them where they may become victims of something else.”
Days after the children were left by themselves, a warrant was issued for Perez’s arrest. A Nassau County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told News4JAX it took this long to arrest Perez because authorities could not find her.
Perez was booked into the Nassau County jail on a $300,000 bond.