The short version
- A Carolina municipal police officer found the four-year-old barefoot and in pajamas at the condominium gate around 8:12 a.m. on Wednesday, El Nuevo Día reported
- The girl said she had been with her father in the apartment but he left her alone and she went looking for him, according to the CIC director via El Nuevo Día
- Parents were interviewed Wednesday afternoon; the 34-year-old father, accompanied by a lawyer, said he made an 'error', El Nuevo Día reported
- The girl was to undergo a hospital medical exam per protocol and the case remains under investigation by the Child Abuse Division with no charges yet decided
Updates
Update, Oct 28, 3:07 PM AST
El Nuevo Día adds details on parents' interviews, shared custody, father's statement and medical exam protocol.
El Nuevo Día reported that the state police CIC director for the Carolina region said a municipal officer on preventive patrol saw the barefoot four-year-old in pajamas at the condominium gate around 8:12 a.m. El Nuevo Día reported. The girl told the officer she was looking for her father, who had left her alone in the apartment after they had been together there.
According to the director, the parents—a 24-year-old mother and 34-year-old father—were interviewed in the afternoon. The father arrived with a lawyer and told investigators he had made a 'mistake.' The director said the parents share custody on alternating weeks and it was the father's week. The girl was to be taken to a hospital for a medical examination per protocol, even though she appeared in good condition. The director noted a prior Department of the Family case involving the girl but declined to provide details.
The director stated that no criminal charges can be anticipated until interviews conclude and the case reaches the prosecutor’s office. The new account does not contradict the earlier reports but supplies additional information on the investigation.
Child found alone outside condominium
A four-year-old girl was found alone outside the exit gate of the Las Dalias condominium in Carolina on Wednesday morning. Primera Hora reported that a Carolina municipal police officer on patrol spotted the barefoot child around 7:30 a.m., jumped a fence and wall to reach her, and took her to safety. The officer went with the girl to an apartment but found no one inside.
According to Metro Puerto Rico, the incident was reported around 8:12 a.m. The girl told officers her father had left her unsupervised in the apartment and she went outside to look for him. A man later emerged from the building saying he had woken up and realized she was gone and had gone to search for her.
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Investigation underway
Primera Hora reported that the Department of the Family assumed emergency custody of the girl. The case was referred to investigators from the Child Abuse Division of the Carolina CIC for further inquiry.
Metro Puerto Rico reported that the case was also referred to the same CIC division. Police asked anyone with information to call 787-343-2020 or contact them via social media.
Where the sources differ
All sources agree the four-year-old was found alone outside a Carolina condominium gate on Wednesday morning and the case was referred to the Child Abuse Division of the Carolina CIC. Earlier reports from Primera Hora and Metro Puerto Rico differed on whether the girl initially said her father was sleeping or had left her; El Nuevo Día aligns with the latter and adds that she told the officer she was looking for him. Primera Hora is the only prior source mentioning the Department of the Family assuming emergency custody. El Nuevo Día is the only source naming CIC director Mabel Olivera, detailing parental interviews, shared custody, the father's statement, a prior Family Department case, and the planned hospital exam. Telemundo provided the fewest details.
What the reports do not say
The sources do not state how long the girl had been outside alone, the outcome of the hospital examination, whether the Department of the Family retained custody or returned the child, if any criminal charges will be filed against the father, or what the prior Family Department case involved. No source reports the final conclusions of the investigation or any prosecutorial decision.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Investigan caso de niña de 4 años hallada sola frente a condominio en Carolina
- Reporting Investigan caso de niña de 4 años hallada sola frente a condominio en Carolina
- Reporting Encuentran sola a niña de cuatro años frente a condominio en Carolina
- Reporting Hallan a niña sola en un apartamento de Carolina
- Reporting Descalza y en pijama: encuentran niña de 4 años sola en Carolina
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día reported the new details from CIC director Mabel Olivera on parental interviews and protocols. The original account rested on Primera Hora, Metro Puerto Rico and Telemundo Puerto Rico. All information about the minor's statements, the father's comment and prior case comes from police sources quoted in the outlets.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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