Couple Arrested for Neglecting Baby on Beach

A regional president of a health care company and her spouse have been accused of leaving their 6-month-old daughter in a tent at the beach for a nap while they took a lengthy walk with their other children on Friday afternoon.

Sara Somers Wilkes, 37, and Brian Wilkes, 40, were arrested shortly after police received a call about an abandoned infant in Miramar Beach, Florida, around noon on Friday.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office noted that the couple told officials they “lost track of time” during their walk, which included their three older children.

They were gone for nearly an hour, which one sheriff’s official deemed “much longer than is reasonable.”

When authorities arrived, a good Samaritan had taken the baby and was looking after her in the nearby Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa. Unbeknownst to the parents, they couldn’t contact their infant as they had left their phones behind.

Sheriff Michael Adkinson expressed gratitude to the beachgoers who alerted authorities and cared for the child with compassion.

Officials reported that the baby’s vitals were stable and she showed no signs of distress. She, along with her three siblings, was placed in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families until relatives could take them in.

Shortly after, the parents were charged with child neglect without causing bodily harm, which is classified as a third-degree felony in Florida.

One sheriff’s official highlighted the various risks that young children face, even during something as seemingly safe as a nap, emphasizing that parents must always be cautious.

The couple was released on $1,000 bail the following day. Somers Wilkes has an impressive career, currently serving as the President of the Southeast Texas Region for US Heart and Vascular, an organization that provides support to independent cardiovascular practices across several states.