Miami-Dade Father Accused of Starving, Confining Two Children

Deputies said the children reported going days without food, drinking shower water and using a bucket because they were denied bathroom access.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL — A 40-year-old father was arrested after his two children told deputies they had gone days without food, were confined to their bedrooms and were forced to use a bucket as a toilet, according to an arrest report.

Wendy Louis, of northeast Miami-Dade County, faces two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm following his arrest Tuesday. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies went to a home along Northeast 175th Street for a welfare check after family members learned of the children’s allegations, authorities said.

According to the arrest report, the children told relatives they had not been fed for days, were not allowed to leave their rooms and could not use the bathroom. When deputies interviewed them separately, investigators said both children gave similar accounts of the conditions inside the home.

The children told investigators that Louis sometimes went days without feeding them because he believed the government was putting something in their food, according to the report. Authorities said the children reported being allowed to drink water from the shower when they were thirsty and said they were not permitted to shower regularly.

Investigators said the children also described being kept in their bedrooms for days at a time. Because they were not allowed to use the bathroom, they told deputies they had to use a bucket as a toilet. The arrest report did not disclose the children’s ages, and authorities have not publicly identified them.

Deputies described both children as extremely small and thin for their ages and said their hair appeared unkempt and matted. Investigators determined that Louis had failed to provide the care, supervision and services needed to maintain the children’s physical and mental health, according to the report.

The children also told investigators they had not attended school since August 2025, when their father withdrew them, according to multiple local reports citing the arrest record. Authorities said the children were not receiving homeschooling instruction after they were removed from school.

Louis refused to be interviewed by investigators after he was taken into custody, according to the arrest report. He was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Records cited by Local 10 also showed that he had an active bench warrant related to previous allegations of battery involving domestic violence and resisting an officer without violence.

At a bond court appearance Wednesday, a judge set bond at $2,500 on each child-neglect count, for a total of $5,000, according to local court coverage. The judge also ordered Louis to stay away from the children. He remained jailed Wednesday afternoon. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Author note: Last updated October 14, 2026.

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