A 29-year-old North Miami Beach woman was arrested on Sept. 28, 2026, after authorities discovered she allegedly left her four young children home alone without adult supervision to go on a three-day ocean cruise to the Bahamas.
- Discovery of the Unsupervised Children
- Conflicting Family Accounts and Timeline
- Arrest at PortMiami and Court Appearance
- Prior Legal History
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What charges does Nathalie Belizaire face?
- How old were the children found in the apartment?
- Which cruise line was involved in the incident?
- How were the children discovered?
- What was the outcome of the court bond hearing?
Nathalie Belizaire faces four felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm following the incident. The children, which include a two-month-old infant and a two-year-old along with two older siblings, were found inside Belizaire’s apartment on Sept. 26 by first responders.
Discovery of the Unsupervised Children
The investigation began when Lether Bazile, the father of the two-month-old infant, grew concerned about the children’s welfare. According to court documents and police reports, Bazile had seen a WhatsApp status post from Belizaire on Sept. 24 depicting a Carnival Cruise Line ticket purchase.
Bazile stated that when he last spoke with Belizaire, she claimed she would drop the children off with their great-grandmother before leaving town. However, when Bazile visited the North Miami Beach residence on Sept. 26, he noticed the television was on and heard children’s voices inside through the blinds.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel forced entry into the apartment and discovered all four minors hiding together in a bathroom without an adult present.
Conflicting Family Accounts and Timeline
Investigators spoke with several family members to piece together the timeline of the abandonment:
- The Great-Grandmother: Denise Wilkes told police that Belizaire mentioned bringing the children over before traveling, but the children were never dropped off at her home.
- The Brother: Steven Borgella, Belizaire’s brother, reported that his sister texted him on the evening of Sept. 26 asking him to check in on the kids.
- The Father: Lether Bazile placed the initial 911 call after finding the minors unsupervised inside the locked residence.
Authorities subsequently determined that Belizaire had boarded Carnival Cruise Line’s vessel, the Carnival Conquest, which departed PortMiami on Sept. 25 for a three-night Bahamas itinerary.
Arrest at PortMiami and Court Appearance
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Belizaire as she disembarked the ship upon its return to PortMiami on Monday, Sept. 28. She was handed over to the North Miami Beach Police Department and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
During her bond hearing on Tuesday before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer, the judge expressed shock at the allegations. “Who leaves four little kids alone to go on a cruise?” Judge Glazer asked during the proceedings. “The poor kids were home alone!”
The Florida Department of Children and Families stepped in to ensure the safety and placement of the children. Judge Glazer ordered Belizaire to have no contact with the minors pending dependency court proceedings and set her total bond at $10,000 ($2,500 per count), along with mandated pretrial services.
Prior Legal History
Court records indicate that this is not Belizaire’s first interaction with law enforcement. She was previously arrested and charged with aggravated battery in January 2025 after allegedly pepper-spraying a neighbor in the face during a dispute involving her daughter.
Belizaire has not entered a plea regarding the current child neglect charges, and legal representatives have maintained that the case involves unproven allegations as the judicial process moves forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What charges does Nathalie Belizaire face?
Belizaire faces four felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, representing each of the four children left unsupervised.
How old were the children found in the apartment?
The children included a two-month-old infant, a two-year-old, and two older siblings whose exact ages were not publicly emphasized in initial reports.
Which cruise line was involved in the incident?
The travel was booked aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s ship, the Carnival Conquest, on a three-night trip to the Bahamas.
How were the children discovered?
The father of the infant, Lether Bazile, went to the apartment on Sept. 26 after suspecting Belizaire had left on a cruise. Upon hearing children inside, he called 911, prompting fire rescue to force entry and find the kids hiding in a bathroom.
What was the outcome of the court bond hearing?
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer set Belizaire’s bond at $10,000 ($2,500 per count), ordered her to have no contact with the children, and involved the Florida Department of Children and Families.
