Barbara Ruiz and Lester Ortiz, Sanford, Florida parents charged after 3 year old autistic toddler son wandered from home only to drown in nearby pond as parents got stoned smoking marijuana.
Two Florida parents face charges after their autistic toddler wandered off and drowned in a retaining pond at their apartment complex. It was at least the fourth time the child had left the residence on his own, police said.
Barbara Ruiz, 37, and Lester Ortiz, 39, had bloodshot eyes and reeked of ‘fresh marijuana’ when cops arrived at the scene after Ortiz reported their son missing around 30 minutes prior. Both parents face aggravated negligent manslaughter charges.
Responding police said the couple’s Sanford home had ‘the strong odor of freshly smoked marijuana’ as they looked around for the boy, Ethan Ortiz Ruiz, 3, whose body was found floating in a pond directly behind their apartment about 20 minutes later.
Parents were being investigated by Child Protection Services
He was taken to Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford where he was pronounced dead, ClickOrlando reported.
According to police, Ethan had left the apartment unbeknownst to his parents on at least three other occasions. Two of those times he was brought to the front office by helpful neighbors who spotted the infant walking around the apartment complex unsupervised.
On a third occasion in March, a member of the apartment complex’s management staff called police after sighting Ethan once again outside by himself. Ortiz told officers he had fallen asleep without realizing the boy had left.
Police said during this visit to the apartment they saw the boy was able to open the front door on his own, despite the extra safety measures that had been installed to prevent him from doing so. Police then contacted Seminole County Child Protective Services to advise they send an investigator for a follow-up.
Ortiz, who police also described as ‘sweating profusely,’ was taken to the hospital due to a health concern. Both Ruiz and Ortiz remain held without bound at the James E. Polk Correctional Facility.
Both Ortiz and Ruiz told police they have state-issued medical marijuana cards and said they smoke it ‘on a regular basis.’
If found guilty, Ruiz and Ortiz could face up to life in prison.
