Two Florida parents were arrested after their autistic toddler wandered off and drowned in a retaining pond at their apartment complex, police said. It was at least the fourth time the child had left the residence on his own.
Officers said the boy’s parents, Barbara Ruiz and Lester Ortiz, had bloodshot eyes and reeked of “fresh marijuana” when they arrived at the scene after Ortiz reported their son had gone missing around 30 minutes prior. Both parents are facing aggravated manslaughter charges.
Police also noticed the entire home had “the strong odor of freshly smoked marijuana” as they looked around for the boy, Ethan Ortiz Ruiz, 3, whose body was found floating in a pond directly behind their apartment about 20 minutes later.
He was taken to Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford where he was pronounced dead.
According to police, Ethan had left the apartment unbeknownst to his parents on at least three other occasions. Two of those times he was brought to the front office by helpful neighbors who spotted the youngster walking around the apartment complex unsupervised.
On a third occasion in March, a member of the apartment complex’s management staff called police after sighting Ethan once again outside by himself. Ortiz told officers he had fallen asleep without realizing the boy had left.
Police said during this visit to the apartment they saw the boy was able to open the front door on his own, despite the extra safety measures that had been installed to prevent him from doing so. Police then contacted Seminole County Child Protective Services to advise they send an investigator for a follow-up.
Lester Ortiz, 39, and Barbara Ruiz, 37, have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after their three-year-old left their apartment and drowned in a retaining pond behind their home.
After speaking with the parents on Saturday, police charged them both with aggravated manslaughter of a child. If found guilty, Ruiz and Ortiz could face up to life in prison.
Ortiz, who police also described as “sweating profusely,” was taken to the hospital due to a health concern. Ruiz was placed under arrest and taken to John E. Polk Correctional Facility without incident. Both are being held on $25,000 bonds.
Both Ortiz and Ruiz told police they have state-issued medical marijuana cards and said they smoke it “on a regular basis.”
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/10/16/autistic-toddler-drowns-while-weed-smoking-parents-were-inside-apartment/