A 33-year-old mother, Amanda Thorpe, was arrested after allegedly leaving her daughter all alone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
After receiving calls about an abandoned girl child on Saturday, March 7, officers found a 12-year-old at the CW Shoreline Bar on Universal City Walk.
Other patrons informed the establishment's security after witnessing Thorpe grow angry at the child and walk out of the bar.
Highlights
- Amanda Thorpe, a 33-year-old woman, was accused of abandoning her 12-year-old daughter at Universal Studios in Florida.
- She was arrested for child neglect after the police found her dancing by herself at a club.
- The Lake Mary resident was blasted on social media, with many questioning her capacity to care for a child.
“Mother of the Year right there, folks,” one netizen commented on Facebook. “What a piece of work.”
33-year-old mother Amanda Thorpe was arrested after leaving her 12-year-old daughter all alone
Image credits: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
According to the official affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, an officer named Duran Alex and his assisting deputies found Amanda Thorpe’s daughter “visibly upset, crying, and sitting alone on a bar stool by the bar” at the CW Shoreline Bar.
The 12-year-old’s name and likeness were redacted in the affidavit.
Image credits: Orange County Jail
Thorpe was inebriated when the two arrived at the bar, as per officials. The mother then had an argument with another patron and wanted to leave for another Universal Studios bar, the Red Coconut Club.
The child said she did not feel like going to the club and wanted to return to their hotel room. Her mother allegedly “got livid” with her, displayed the middle finger, said “F*ck you,” and left the bar without her.
Image credits: milanmarkovic/freepik (not an actual photo)
Shortly after interviewing the girl, Officer Alex’s team found Thorpe dancing at the Red Coconut Club. The affidavit described Thorpe as a white female, 5 ft tall, and residing on Cherry Ridge Drive in Lake Mary, Florida.
She was arrested on charges of neglect of a child at 10:58 p.m. and booked at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. She has since posted a $2,500 bond, according to Law & Crime.
Image credits: Lambert/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Child neglect is generally a third-degree felony offense under Florida law, with penalties ranging from five years in prison to five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
However, in the case of great bodily harm to the child, the offense is a second-degree felony with 15 years and a $10,000 fine.
Furthermore, a conviction for any level of child neglect can result in the loss of the individual’s parental rights altogether.
Amanda Thorpe confessed to abandoning her daughter several times before
Image credits: freepik (not an actual photo)
Officer Alex’s statement revealed that when his team found Amanda Thorpe at the Red Coconut Club, she had “red, bloodshot eyes, uncontrollable swaying of the body, unbalance while walking, and the scent of fruity purities coming from her breath.”
He believed it to be a sign of “impairment from an alcoholic beverage.”
When the cops asked Thorpe about her daughter, she initially said she thought the child was with her the whole time, and later claimed that she had left the girl in the hotel room. She was also surprised that her actions led to her arrest.
“Additionally, Amanda spontaneously uttered that she was confused about why she would possibly go to jail, as she had done this before,” the affidavit read.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident. The child was picked up from the scene of the incident by a party whose identity was redacted.
Image credits: TheFrugalBrit
Thorpe’s case is by no means an isolated incident.
According to the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center, every 40 seconds, a child goes missing or is abducted in the United States, and supervisory neglect (parental absence or incapacity) is a leading cause for many of them.
Similarly, a study by the National Children’s Alliance reported that an estimated 558,899 children (unique incidents) were victims of ab*se and neglect in the U.S. in 2022.
Social media ripped into Amanda Thorpe for neglecting her child
Image credits: yannamelissa/freepik (not an actual photo)
Once the news was reported, netizens were up in arms over Thorpe’s alleged carelessness.
“Great parenting,” one user said on Facebook. “Hopefully, now the authorities can place this child in a safe home away from the lifestyle she has endured under her care,” another commenter wrote.
Image credits: TheFrugalBrit
One person said, “I’m tired of just anyone being allowed to procreate.” Another chimed in: “The world does have some amazing adults that would be incredible parents, but not able to have children… yet people like this have children.”
A third drew a comparison with an infamous criminal case from the late 2000s: “Another Casey Anthony! Great!”
Casey Anthony, the mother of Caylee Anthony, was accused of taking the life of her three-year-old daughter after the child’s remains were found in December 2008.
Casey was later acquitted of the homicide and child ab*se charges, but was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
"She doesn't deserve the title of mother." Netizens blasted Amanda Thorpe for neglecting her 12-year-old daughter
