A little girl and dog were found walking the streets alone — police learned a sad truth no one expected
Volusia Sheriff's Office recently came across an emotional case when they were informed about a 6-year-old girl walking the streets alone with her pet dog. When the police approached the child, what they discovered left them completely heartbroken. The incident took place on April 4, 2025, and was reported by a woman in Deltona, Florida. On arriving at the location, authorities found the girl sitting on a chair in the woman’s carport. Deltona Fire Rescue was also on the scene, making sure she was safe and feeling okay.
As reported by People magazine, the sheriff’s office shared, “The girl said she was hot, thirsty, and hungry, so the woman and a neighbor brought her food, water, toys, and clean clothes. Deltona Fire Rescue responded to check her vitals and confirm she was OK.” On an officer’s body cam footage, the girl can be heard describing how her mom had left her there, and she didn’t know if she was coming back. However, she wasn't upset, seeming cheerful instead, excited about getting to ride in the police car. Deputies found out that she was homeless, and they called her grandparents to inform them if they would like to take her in instead of social services.
According to police records, the girl had a small backpack with just a blanket, a marker, and a toilet bowl cleaner. She told the officers that she lived in a house where rain dripped through the roof and that she was often let out on her own to walk to nearby stores. As reported by Unilad, on Facebook, authorities updated, "Around 4:30 p.m. Friday, deputies responded to a home near Vann Park in Deltona, where a woman saw a 6-year-old child and her dog wandering in her front yard, then found her sitting in a chair in her carport. Responding deputies learned the girl's mom and mom's boyfriend dropped her off in the area in the morning.”
The statement continued, “They also learned she was homeless and does not attend school. The little girl was taken to the Volusia Family Resource Center (VFRC), where her grandparents were identified and contacted to take custody.” The police eventually located the little girl’s mom, Aquania Estes, and her boyfriend, Pitrez Floyd, in the early morning of April 5. As reported by the Daily Mail, the woman said, "We're homeless, and we live in the forest. She got out of where she was. I was trying to get water.” The mother and her boyfriend were later charged with desertion of a child and a pet.
The girl, who hadn’t been going to school, is now safe with her grandparents. Her dog, her quiet little companion through it all, was handed over to Deltona Animal Control for care. Meanwhile, in another heartbreaking incident, a 2-year-old toddler was found walking alone in the middle of a street in Florida, wearing pajamas and a dirty diaper. When police followed the child home, they found the house in a very bad state and the father passed out drunk in bed. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded after getting several calls about the child walking alone on the road, as reported by ABC7.