Authorities say the children, including a 2-month-old baby and a 2-year-old, were found hiding together in a bathroom.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL – A North Miami Beach mother was arrested after returning from a three-day Bahamas cruise after police say she left four young children alone inside her apartment for the entire trip. (Hoodline)
Nathalie Belizaire, 29, was taken into custody Sept. 28 after disembarking the Carnival Conquest at PortMiami. She faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, one for each child, according to published reports citing the arrest record. (Hoodline)
The children included a 2-month-old infant and a 2-year-old, authorities said. Police were alerted after the infant’s father became suspicious about Belizaire’s weekend travel plans and later went to the apartment. (Hoodline)
Father Finds Children Still Inside Apartment
According to the arrest account, the father had seen a WhatsApp post indicating Belizaire had purchased a cruise ticket.
When he questioned her, she allegedly told him the children would be staying with their great-grandmother. Investigators later said the great-grandmother confirmed the children had never been dropped off. (Cruise Fever)
The father went to the apartment Saturday night, heard the children and a television inside and called 911.
First responders forced their way into the home and found all four children without adult supervision, police said. The children were reportedly hiding together inside a bathroom. (Hoodline)
Police Were Waiting When Cruise Returned
Belizaire had departed PortMiami Sept. 25 aboard Carnival Conquest for a weekend Bahamas sailing that included a stop at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island. (Cruise Hive)
When the ship returned Monday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and North Miami Beach police were waiting.
Belizaire was taken into custody after leaving the ship and later declined to give investigators a statement, according to reports citing the arrest record. (Cruise Fever)
The charges are allegations, and Belizaire is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Earlier Arrest Involved Pepper-Spray Allegation
Belizaire was also arrested in January 2025 in a separate case after North Miami Beach police accused her of pepper-spraying a neighbor during an argument.
Local 10 reported at the time that Belizaire was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm after allegedly spraying the woman in both eyes and the upper chest. (wplg)
The prior case is separate from the current child-neglect prosecution.
