Woman left kids at motel for more than a day, Orange County deputies say

Cops say woman has open DCF investigation, previous child neglect arrest

Marlene Moreno

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County woman was arrested on child neglect charges after deputies say she left a young boy alone at a motel for more than a day.

Deputies said Marlene Moreno, 35, left a young boy in a room at the Countryside Inn on Lee Road Saturday and an infant with another woman in the motel to go out with her boyfriend.

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According to the report, the woman told deputies that Moreno asked her to watch her 11-month-old for an hour to go out with her boyfriend, but didn't come back until the next day.

A security guard saw the boy walking around the motel alone and asked where his mother was, to which the boy told him she had been gone since the previous day, according to deputies. The guard then contacted Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Moreno told deputies she was in Seminole County dealing with issues with her storage unit and didn't have a ride back. According to the report, Moreno said she tried to call the woman watching the infant but no one answered. The woman said she never received a call from Moreno.

Deputies said Moreno has an open case with Department of Children and Families and is on inmate release status for child neglect. She was booked into the Orange County jail on $1,000 bond on Saturday afternoon.

The children have been placed in DCF custody.