Crying Baby Found Home Alone In Filthy Apartment

A Fort Walton Beach woman is charged with strapping her baby girl into a car seat and leaving her home alone.

20-year-old Jennifer D'Silva's neighbor called the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Wednesday morning after hearing a crying baby and noticing that no one appeared to be home. Deputies knocked repeatedly, but no one answered. The doors and windows were locked. Deputies called a property manager who came and unlocked the apartment.

Inside, deputies found a crying baby strapped in a car seat, wearing a diaper overflowing in urine and full of fecal matter. The infant was also surrounded by dirty diapers and trash. Deputies say the apartment was filthy and in complete disarray.

The baby was taken to the Emerald Coast Children's Advocacy Center for a medical exam. The doctor says the infant's head is misshapen and she has weak muscular structure, indicating she was restrained in a car seat for extended periods of time. The baby also had a rash, blisters, and a yeast infection caused by urine burns and fecal matter.

Deputies arrested D'Silva on child neglect charges Thursday.