Video shows conditions that 5 children lived in as police say parents have history of neglect
By Chelsea Jones
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MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) — The parents who were charged with child neglect after their five children were found living in squalid conditions in Miami Beach have a history of neglect, police have learned.
Authorities have released body camera footage, giving a first look inside the apartment where they said Azra Nikocevic and Sanel Canovic’s five kids were forced to live with no electricity, no working stove or toilet, and no food. The parents were arrested on New Year’s Eve.
Now, Officers say they’ve uncovered a court case involving Nikocevic and Canovic outside of their jurisdiction.
“Custody was taken away in New York. Once they went through the process to replenish the custody, they relocated down here to Miami Beach and continued the vicious cycle of neglect and abuse,” said Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess.
In the bodycam video, the five kids are seen sitting on the bed with officers who were led to the apartment after the 6-year-old child was found wandering in the street alone. That is when police uncovered what was happening inside of this apartment.
The children told police they often went to bed hungry, saying their father would tell them, “You eat at school, so you don’t eat at home.”
They added that on occasion, they would get $20 from their mom and they would use that money at McDonalds to get one sandwich for each child.
CBS News Miami spoke exclusively to Nikocevic when she was released from jail last Thursday, denying the claims her children went to bed hungry. Nikocevic is the director of housekeeping at a Wynwood hotel but it’s unclear what her husband Canovic does for work.
“I’m going to do my best to improve everything and get them back,” she said.
We’ve reached out to the lawyers for both Nikocevic and Canovic who say they have no comment.
“These kids just want to be kids. They were very happy that our officers were able to rescue them. Being taken away from their parents, they asked one thing, if the sisters could stick together and if the brothers could stick together,” Bess said.
Police are urging the community to reach out to their local police if they witness a child who is frequently alone or appears to be malnourished.
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