Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 25-year-old Gainesville woman, Shalesia Janay Cave, was arrested early Friday after two of her young children went to a neighbor for help and said their mother was dead.
A Gainesville Police Department officer was called to The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve at about 1:02 a.m. on August 1 after a witness reported that Cave’s children, ages 5 and 6, had knocked on her door in distress and told her their mother was dead.
The neighbor brought the two children into her apartment, then hurried to Cave’s apartment to retrieve Cave’s 10-month-old infant before calling 911.
According to the officer, Cave was found unclothed and unresponsive in a bathtub. After the officer shook her and spoke loudly, Cave slowly began to respond, though she still appeared disoriented. The officer reported that Cave cried and spoke, but her words were slurred and unintelligible.
The neighbor told police she had seen the two children on her doorbell camera looking visibly upset. When she went into Cave’s apartment, she said she found only Cave and the infant inside, and that Cave appeared to be the only person responsible for watching the children.
The officer reportedly tried to reassure the children by telling them their mother was “just sleeping,” but they remained upset for some time before calming down.
Cave reportedly made a spontaneous statement that she had ignored her children so they would go back to sleep.
Cave has been charged with three counts of child neglect without causing great bodily harm. She has no local criminal history; Judge Denise Ferrero ordered her released on her own recognizance.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
