NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nearly a dozen children were taken to two Broward hospitals after a medical call led officials to discover “neglect” in a North Lauderdale home Thursday, according to a city official.
North Lauderdale City Manager Michael Sargis said Thursday afternoon that the city’s fire department responded to a home in the 1500 block of Southwest 66th Avenue after receiving a report of a sick child.
That child was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center, he said. But, in the course of the investigation, officials located 10 other children in the home, all of whom were taken to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
City officials later reported that the residence was a foster home, but the Broward Sheriff’s Office subsequently said that was inaccurate and the home did not serve as a foster home.
Sargis described the case as being related to “neglect,” but directed further inquiries to BSO.
He did not have information on the children’s ages or their gender.
In a news release issued just before 6:15 p.m. Thursday, BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman said deputies had been called to the home at around 7 a.m. for a reported domestic disturbance. One woman was taken into custody, she said.
“Investigators from BSO’s Special Victims Unit and Child Protective Investigation Services responded to continue the investigation,” Grossman said.
Grossman said the children were checked out “as a precaution.”
Neighbors told Local 10 News that they regularly see children playing outside and that they appeared to be happy.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article, based on a confirmation from a North Lauderdale city official, reported that the home was a foster home. Officials with the Broward Sheriff’s Office later said that information was inaccurate. This article has been updated to reflect that.