A man and woman from Florida are in trouble with the law after police reportedly found their five kids living in terrible conditions without food, electricity, or a working toilet.
Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, are now facing five charges of child neglect without causing bodily harm. According to Christopher Bess, a spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department, the case began on a busy Tuesday afternoon in the 700 block of 15th Street in Miami Beach. A concerned passerby spotted a 6-year-old boy crossing the street all alone. Worried about the child’s safety, they called 911.
When police found the boy, he led them to his nearby apartment. What the officers discovered inside was shocking. Four more children, all under 12 years old, were in the home. There was no electricity, no working toilet, and no food. The kids told the police they hadn’t eaten in more than 12 hours and were very hungry. Officers brought the children to the police station, fed them, and started looking for their parents.
But the parents were nowhere to be found.
The details in the arrest affidavit painted a grim picture. The bathroom was filthy, with the toilet full of feces, and the kids said they were told to shower after using the bathroom since there was no toilet paper. Dirty rags were found in the bathroom, and the children wore soiled clothing and smelled of urine.
According to the kids, they had been living without electricity for about two months. The oldest child explained they relied on breakfast and lunch from school for meals, but since it was Christmas break, they often had nothing to eat. On the day police got involved, their mother had left them $20 to buy food at McDonald’s before going to work.
The affidavit revealed even more troubling behavior. The parents, it said, often ate meals in the evening without providing food for the children. They frequently went out to dinner, leaving the kids at home alone.
Eventually, the police reached Nikocevic, the mother, and asked her to come to the station. She told officers their electricity had been shut off about six weeks ago because they couldn’t pay the bill. She also admitted to leaving $20 for her kids to buy food but had no way of knowing if they actually ate because they couldn’t contact her while she was at work.
Canovic, the father, also came to the station but refused to talk to the police without a lawyer. He was taken to the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation facility, where he remains in custody on a $7,500 bond. Nikocevic was released on her own recognizance. The couple is due in court on January 30.
This heartbreaking story has left many in Miami Beach deeply concerned about the well-being of these children. The police acted swiftly to ensure their safety, but it’s clear the family had been struggling for a long time.
