Overview
- The infant was found unattended under a beach tent at Miramar Beach after witnesses and surveillance showed the parents were away for nearly an hour in October 2025.
- Deputies arrested Sara and Brian Wilkes and the Florida Department of Children and Families temporarily placed the couple’s other children into state custody until relatives arrived from Texas.
- The couple entered deferred prosecution agreements in May 2026 that will spare them jail if each pays $1,000, completes 25 hours of community service and finishes a parenting class within 12 months.
- Investigators say security footage showed neither parent had a phone while they were away; emergency responders reported the six‑month‑old had normal vital signs and was not in distress.
- Officials have publicly condemned the safety lapse, the agreements let prosecutors reopen the case if conditions are violated, and the case drew extra attention because the mother is a regional healthcare executive.