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Deputies: Woman arrested after child found wandering Publix parking lot

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A woman is facing child neglect charges after deputies said her young child was found wandering a Publix parking lot.

Brevard County deputies responded Thursday to the Port St. John Publix on Highway 1 for a report of a small child walking alone nearly being hit by vehicles.

Deputies found the child, but the child’s caregivers were nowhere in sight.

After 45 minutes of searching for the child’s parents, deputies said Stacy Sifuentes, 36, arrived on scene.

Deputies said Sifuentes seemed lethargic and smelled like alcohol.

They found her purse in a shopping cart.

“The mom reeked of alcohol and was basically not responsible for her child, had no idea how her child was left in the parking lot,” said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. “This has the potential to be very worse than it was. We’re just very fortunate no one hit the kid.”

She told deputies she didn’t know how the child was left in the parking lot, and only realized the child was missing when she got home and her father asked about the child’s whereabouts.

“Anytime I’ve seen the child, or her around, they’ve been together,” said Sifuentes’ neighbor, Mike Sanchez. “She’s never left him out running around by himself. That’s really off and uncharacteristic.”

Sifuentes was charged with child neglect.