Deltona, Florida – Around 4:30 p.m. Friday, deputies responded to a home near Vann Park in Deltona. A woman had spotted a 6-year-old girl and her dog wandering in her front yard. She later found the child sitting in a chair in her carport.

The girl told the woman she was hot, thirsty, and hungry. The woman and a neighbor quickly stepped in. They provided her with food, water, toys, and clean clothes. Deltona Fire Rescue arrived soon after to check the girl’s vitals and ensure she was healthy.

Deputies discovered the girl’s mother and her boyfriend had dropped her off in the area that morning. They also learned the child was homeless and not attending school. The situation raised immediate concerns for her well-being.

The girl was taken to the Volusia Family Resource Center (VFRC). Staff there identified and contacted her grandparents, who agreed to take custody. The VFRC provides social services and connects families with resources to support juveniles in need.

Around 1 a.m. Saturday, the Deltona Crime Suppression Team located the mother and her boyfriend. They were arrested and charged with desertion of a child and abandonment of an animal. The investigation remains ongoing.

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