The newly released footage documents officers’ response to a July case that led to felony charges against the girl’s mother.
HIALEAH, Fla. — Newly released police body-camera footage shows officers arriving at a Hialeah home where authorities say a 13-year-old girl with special needs had been left chained to a fence, providing a new look at a July incident that led to felony child abuse and neglect charges against her mother.
The recordings, made public months after the July 11 incident, show officers approaching the home on West 63rd Street and speaking with the girl’s great-grandmother as the teenager remained near the fence. Police said the great-grandmother found the child and sought help after she could not remove the metal chain herself. Officers later freed the girl, who authorities said was not injured.
Hialeah police arrested Yashira Marie Maldonado, 34, after investigators said surveillance video showed her bringing her daughter to the relative’s home, securing a metal chain around the girl’s waist and attaching the other end to the fence before driving away. Police said the teenager was left outside in the July heat without food, water, shade or supervision.
The body-camera footage adds to evidence described in the arrest investigation. Video from the scene shows officers examining the chain and documenting the area around the teenager. A backpack containing clothing and medication was also left with the child, according to police reports and news accounts of the investigation.
The girl’s great-grandmother told authorities she had been unable to remove the chain after finding the teenager outside. A separate 911 recording released in connection with the case captured a man identifying himself as the girl’s father telling a dispatcher that he had learned from a relative that his daughter had been found abandoned and chained. He was not in Hialeah at the time.
Investigators said Maldonado had lost her job earlier that morning and later sent family members a message saying she had been fired and that the girl was outside. According to the arrest report, Maldonado told investigators she felt overwhelmed by caring for her daughter and wanted a break. The report also said she acknowledged that what she had done was wrong.
Police said Maldonado returned to her apartment after leaving the teenager and put her phone on silent. Body-camera footage later shows officers encountering Maldonado at the apartment and escorting her toward a police vehicle. The allegations against her remain accusations, and the criminal case has not resulted in a finding of guilt.
Authorities said the girl was found in good health despite being left outside in the summer conditions. Officials have not publicly identified the teenager, and reporting on the case has not established who currently has custody of her. A judge previously ordered Maldonado to have no contact with her daughter while the case proceeds.
Maldonado has been released on bond and has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors offered her a plea agreement involving probation and a parenting course at a court hearing this week, according to local reporting, but it was not immediately clear whether she would accept the offer. Her next court date is scheduled for January.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 10, 2026.