A prominent healthcare executive and her spouse face charges after allegedly leaving their six-month-old daughter unattended on a beach for close to an hour.
Sara Wilks, 37, and Brian Wilks, 40, were taken into custody on October 10 following reports of an unsupervised infant on Florida’s Miramar Beach.
Upon arrival, police discovered that kind-hearted bystanders at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa were looking after the baby.
As paramedics were being called, the Texas-based couple, who reside in a $970,000 home in Houston, returned to the scene and confessed to leaving their daughter there.
The pair admitted to placing the baby under a tent for a nap while they took a walk with their three other children and “lost track of time,” as stated by authorities.
Surveillance footage revealed that Sara, a regional president at US Heart and Vascular, and her husband did not carry their phones during their absence from the child.
The baby’s vitals were normal and she was not in distress, police said.
The Florida Department of Children and Families immediately responded to the scene and their other children were placed in state custody until relatives from Texas could arrive.
Sara, 37, and Brian Wilks, 40, were arrested after their six-month-old child was found alone on Miramar Beach
The infant was cared for by Good Samaritans while the couple went on a walk
The Wilks were both charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. The couple posted a $1,000 bond the next day, according to court records obtained by the Daily Mail.
Major Dustin Cosson with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said the amount of time they left their child was ‘way longer than what would be reasonable.’
He said he understands that babies are on a napping schedule, but that does not mean parents should leave them alone when they do so.
‘That’s all fine and dandy, but you don’t just leave a baby at a house and then leave and go off to the store,’ Cosson told ABC13.
‘The baby could roll over and suffocate itself, or the wind could blow a towel over its face. There’s no telling what could have happened.’
He further emphasized that although beaches in the Sunshine State are family-friendly, parents still need to use common sense and remain vigilant.
‘Yes, it’s a bubble, but that doesn’t mean as you cross over the county line or over the state line into Florida that we can just leave your common sense behind,’ he said.
Sara is a regional president for US Heart and Vascular in Houston. She and her husband were both charged with child neglect without great bodily harm
Brian and Sara posted a $1,000 bond the next day. Their children were placed in state custody until relatives from Texas could arrive
The couple live in a $970,000 home in Houston Texas (pictured)
‘It still means you have to do the best for your children.’
Although deputies do not believe the Wilks’s acted maliciously, Cosson believes the option to leave their baby daughter alone should see them face criminal charges.
Sara was named as part of Cardiovascular Business’s ‘Forty Under 40 Class of 2025’ in April.
Sara, who appears to go by her maiden name Sommers professionally, holds an MBA and has ‘created a more cost-effective and streamlined experience for patients’ at US Heart and Vascular (USHV), according to Cardiovascular Business.
The company is a national provider of support services for independent cardiovascular physician practices.
Sara’s been described as someone who ‘not only improved the quality of care’ for patients, but made sure to do so in a timely manner, according to the outlet.
The Daily Mail contacted US Heart and Vascular and the Wilks’ attorney for comment.
