Parents arrested after naked child found in street

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A mother and father faced a judge after their child was allegedly found running in the street naked and malnourished.

According to police, they found the 9-year-old child wandering near his home off of Northeast 152nd Street and 14th Avenue. Police arrested the boy's parents, Marsee Strong and Edward Bailey.

Authorities said the child jumped out of a window and walked the streets naked begging for food. "He was totally naked, and I said I don't know if he was in the shower. I don't know why is he totally naked jumping out," said a neighbor who witnessed the naked boy on the street.

According to authorities, the boy was covered in bruises and was significantly underweight for his age, at 35 pounds. Police also said the boy's hands and feet were swollen from malnutrition.

The judge banned both parents from having contact with the child. "Mr. Bailey, you cannot have any contact with this 9-year-old child, do you understand that?"

Neighbors said they are stunned. "All we saw was a lovely family and kids who were happy round their mother and daddy," said a neighbor.

On Monday afternoon, the case went before a juvenile judge to determine where the other children in the family will live. The attention of the judge turned toward the Department of Children and Families, who has had contact with the family before. "He looks like he came from Auschwitz. That does not happen in a month," said Judge Cindy Lederman at the hearing.

Judge Lederman chastised DCF after learning the department visited the family in December to help provide mental health services for the family. "And at that time, the child did not present with these marks and bruises either," said a representative of DCF.

"This child, in a period of one month lost all of this weight, so that I can see his bones through his skin?" questioned Judge Lederman in response.

In court, it was alleged the child in question has mental health issues and does not eat. However, Judge Lederman did not accept that as an excuse. "This is like a neon sign of abuse that should have been obvious to anyone who has had anything to do with this family in the last few years," said Judge Lederman. "I mean, this is one of the worst cases I've ever seen in terms of the photographs of this child. How can we have been blind to this child's abuse? Seriously, it's horrible."

Late Monday afternoon, the Department of Children and Families released a statement in the case that read in part: "It would be imprudent on our part to rush to judgments without having all of the facts. In this case and in every case, our priority and focus is the safety and well-being of the children."

The five other children have been placed with a relative.

Strong and Bailey remain behind bars.

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