A healthcare executive and her husband are facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving their six-month-old daughter alone in a tent on the beach while they went for a nearly hour-long walk with their three older children.
Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, regional president of US Heart and Vascular for Southeast Texas, and her husband, Brian Wilks, 40, were arrested at Miramar Beach, Florida, after authorities responded to reports of an abandoned infant around noon.
The couple told police they “lost track of time” during the walk, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Major Dustin Cosson described the timeframe as “way longer than what would be reasonable”, estimating the parents were away for 50 minutes to an hour.
A good Samaritan found the baby and took her inside the nearby Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa while waiting for authorities. The parents had left their phones behind, making them unreachable during the incident.
“We’re thankful for the quick-thinking beachgoer who raised the alarm and for those who stepped in to care for the child with the same kindness and concern they would show their own,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said. Authorities confirmed the baby’s vitals were normal and she showed no apparent distress.
The infant and her three older siblings were placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families until other family members could assume care.
The parents were charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony under Florida law, and released on a $1,000 bond. Major Cosson warned of the dangers of leaving an infant unattended, noting that even a napping baby can be at serious risk.
Images: Walton County Sheriff’s Office
