A mother in Florida was taken into custody last week after the father of her children left the kids at a Miami Beach residence described as “filthy,” containing “old food and dirty dishes scattered around, with flies and insects present.”

Miriam Shvetz, 34, was not home, and the children were alone, WPLG said.

The children’s father contacted authorities after the children, aged 5 and 9, informed him “that their mother was not at home.” He mentioned he had previously talked to her about dropping the children off and “she didn’t inform him she wouldn’t be home.”

When officers arrived, they “heard a child on a video phone call talking and crying” to the mother, police said.

An officer spoke with Shvetz on the phone, and she told him she could not get back home “because she had things to do,” a police report said.

“Officers observed that the apartment smelled of decaying food and urine,” according to the report. “The walls and floors were dirty, the kitchen had old food and unwashed dishes scattered, and there were flies and insects. One toilet was clogged and filled with old urine and feces. Feces were also found scattered on the bathroom floor.”

Another child, aged 7, was attending school at the time. The report notes that the father claimed Shvetz had informed him about not enrolling the other two kids in school and “had no intentions” to do so.

“He was added to the children’s school to be able to enroll them and is working on doing so,” the report states.

Police said they have been called about the ongoing custody dispute at least four times since 2023.

Shvetz faced charges of neglect and was detained with a $5,000 bond. She was no longer listed on jail records by Monday, and the whereabouts of the children remain unclear.

Acording to the Tampa Free Press, Shvetz is due in court again on September 19.