Rubi Verduzco, a 29-year-old mother from Oklahoma, was arrested on child neglect charges after she allegedly left her baby abandoned in a casino with a dirty diaper on Christmas Eve. Verduzco was found at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, after three unidentified men discovered her baby alone in a stroller at the casino.
Police were called to the scene on December 24 when the men took the baby to the bell desk at the casino entrance. Officer Joseph Cimino arrived and found the child in distress. “I observed a baby wearing a dirty diaper in an outdoor stroller,” Cimino noted in his report.
Authorities quickly began searching for the mother, who arrived at the casino approximately 15 to 20 minutes later. Verduzco, originally from Bethany, Oklahoma, was identified through her state medical marijuana card. Police described her as intoxicated, with “watery, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.”
When questioned by officers, Verduzco was able to remember her son’s name, but not the baby’s age. Police said this behavior raised concerns about her ability to care for her son, according to local10.
Authorities also contacted the boy’s father, who lives in Oklahoma. He reportedly told police to arrest Verduzco and requested that the state take custody of the child. As a result, Verduzco faces charges of child abuse and child neglect without bodily harm. The baby was left in the care of the Department of Children and Family, WTVJ reported.
Verduzco was held on $2,500 bail at the North Broward Bureau, while the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, a sprawling luxury property designed to look like back-to-back guitars, remains a well-known landmark in South Florida. The case has raised widespread concern about Verduzco’s actions and the safety of his son, as police continue to investigate.