Hello. Is this your son in the backseat? What are all the marks on him? That's what he's been doing that and No, call DCF. Have you brought him to the doctor at all? This is way different than when we saw him the other day. On July 10th, 2024, officers from the Key West Police Department were called by a property manager after she spotted people sleeping on the property. When officers arrived, they located their suspect, quickly realizing this wasn't the first time they had encountered her. Hello. I'm Officer Vanderhoof with the Key West Police Department. Can you add the car to the bus? Yeah. Um so the manager of the property is saying >> no. I I wasn't here. I've been trying to get a tour. I just got a jump and I'm waiting for a jump. Did you got a jump? And I'm here with roadside assistance. I'm I'm trying to get out of here. I'm tired. I I I I I know. They They're saying you've been here for a couple days. Whatever. I I >> Do you guys have IDs on you? Can I see them, please? The driver, 44-year-old Maggie Ray Alvarez, was encountering law enforcement for the second time that week. Just hours earlier, she had been involved in a car crash with her 8-year-old son and another man inside the vehicle. According to Maggie, the man was homeless and she was helping him, claiming they were on a vacation. But this time, officers weren't about to accept her story so easily. Is this your son in the backseat? Okay. Are you guys originally from Kentucky? I am. Yeah, I'm helping her out, trying to get her to find some help. How long have y'all been in Key West? Uh me, I've been here for about 4 days, man. Okay. Yes, ma'am. I've been here a few days longer and I'm trying to get some help. I have my ID on my phone and I have my spare because they stole my wallet. That's why I don't have an ID. I don't have pretty much anything. So, do you guys have like money for a hotel or anything? >> We're trying. >> No, that's what I was saying. >> I I'm older than you, so I I I I have a check waiting for me. in a month. She's in pain and she was supposed to come. Okay. And I I gave her some money. I gave it back. I will be working out of 1800 to establish that. >> Listen, I was doing over eats and I'd be putting in just happened. I would have a face staple. I would have to leave. All right. I understand. I haven't been able to get a face cuz I don't have a car. You know what I'm saying? I haven't been able to do that. You're trying. Everything is Everything is digital. So because I've been able to do everything digital since I lost my wallet, I've been doing at least over eats and now I can't even do that. Right. Now I understand. I'm doing the best I can, man. I believe you. As officers continued analyzing the situation, they quickly noticed the condition the child was in sitting in the back seat. The car was filled with roaches with items scattered in every corner. According to Maggie, they had nowhere to go, which meant they had been living under those conditions. To the officers, a child living like that was unacceptable and they immediately began trying to find a solution for the family. I'm still waiting about the Samuel's house. No, no, no. I've never heard of you. So we were going to offer if you wanted to go out to Samuel's house with your son. Oh, what is that? It's just like a shelter for you. I'm still waiting. Yes, I wasn't driving in the accident. Nine four, go ahead. That's fine. >> That's what would be good for you. And he just got here from Kentucky. I really didn't want to leave him on the streets. Right. I've been hanging out. I don't know. You You got nothing to do with anything. You just got here. If you guys want to help him, do it at your expense. I don't know if they have one. They have one. The thing out in Staten Island is all I know. Nine four, back on one. No, so we're offering if you wanted to go out to Samuel's house with your son. It's pretty much a shelter for for women that have been involved in domestic violence. You want Pretty much that's much what happened but it wasn't through the goodness Or I was before I was there. You're speaking really quiet. Before, I haven't been in the in any domestic violence. Okay. I mean, it was just an offer. It's just from what I recall and everything. >> All right. So, they don't want you on the property anymore. I I don't want to be on the property. >> So, you guys But I need to be able to move this car because I don't have my stuff in it and I Okay. do so and I do have things I sell on that on this and that things I sell. I just got to leave. I know. I really do. I know. But, here's the thing. They want you trespassed from the property, unfortunately. Oh, okay. So, that means you guys I need to get back to my >> Yes, ma'am? I have your ID. have to leave. Okay. So, I'll take the shelter. Can you You want to bring her or you want me to I don't It doesn't matter. You want to >> So, you want to go to the shelter? I mean, I can check it out. You want I'll find you. Um we'd probably have to give you a ride. That's 10 minutes, give or take. You and your son. Maggie was visibly uncomfortable with the idea of going to a shelter, even though it meant her son would have a better place to stay. By this [music] point, the officers were already certain something needed to be done. But as the investigation continued, that certainty only grew stronger. Maybe if I can fix my car though. I I'm almost fixing it. Well, Well, right now right now you you guys have to get off the property. >> Okay. Okay. That's probably Okay. I get it. Okay. >> So, you want to go with You want to go? I I mean, I need to go for a few minutes. I don't Yeah. I mean, Well, Arnold's towed her car to a certain location. I I mean, all I need is all I need is somewhere for the spare so I can get it going. The spare tire >> I can go back to my place 45 miles away. Exactly. guy. You know? Right. That's what I can do. You know? Is it a battery problem? Well, yeah. I think it's a battery problem and it was it started earlier today and then I ran out of gas, of course. And then I'm going to call someone to help me. If you can put gas in the all I need is put gas in my car and I can be on my way. So, I don't have access to the gas like that. No, I mean I have money. Right. I have money to put gas in my car. I just have money to get I can't get a car there. So, if you can get the car to the gas station >> I can't do that for you, unfortunately. I I don't have towing power. I just drive a little police car, unfortunately. What are all the marks on him? That's from That's he's been doing that and it's the sun. No. Call DCF. Um have them help out. As soon as the officer took a closer look inside the car, he saw something no one could ignore. Maggie's son, who just hours earlier had appeared relatively fine with only a few bug bites on his arm, now looked completely different. He was covered in sores with open wounds that were bleeding. The lesions were raised, reddened, and appeared infected and it wasn't just a few. His arms and legs were covered in them. The difference between the first encounter and the second was so drastic that it left everyone questioning what had happened to the child. At that point, officers couldn't allow him to remain with Maggie. They already saw him. ICCF? Yes, they saw him. What When did they see him? They saw him a few days ago here with these. I've been running my phone just The way I had him looking on my phone. I mean, I saw them and 2 days later they were on the boulevard and then I had a I do have a I do have a place to stay. I just don't want to leave my car like this. So, the people that were there, they left before all of this that, you know? So, I split up with them because of this. Where were you staying at? I am staying in Long Beach. And uh okay, Long Beach. So, I can get going, but I need to fix the car. I'm not going to take the car in any of these conditions, not even in this spare tire. I need to fix my tire. I'm just not going to drive in this spare tire all the way from here to Long Beach. I have full coverage. I have car care. I have roadside assistance. Did y'all come down to Key West to visit? Cuz I know he said he's been in there for about 4 days. Is that how long y'all been down here? No, man. No, no. I was out. And then I came back here last night. And then he had the wheel, and I was trying to fix it last night. I was just like, I can't get this out of the car. Cuz they had to take out everything out of the back engine. I was camping. I've been camping in all kinds of machines. I have a place to stay. I don't have a place to stay, but I don't have a place to stay. I just left. I'm just in condition to just I just left my home. But I have a place to stay. I just came down here and I'm trying to venture to the beach. I'm just trying to make the best out of the best situation. It's understandable. As the investigation continued, officers began asking Maggie about her earlier encounter with law enforcement and her overall situation, hoping to find out if she had anyone who could help her, only to uncover the harsh reality she was living in. So what's going on with this this crash? Like I've heard like seven I don't know anything about it. I crashed the car I crashed here. The car is totaled. The car has no tire. And the car messed up. That's my problem. Okay. Okay. All right. Instead of moving it, I was trying to move it. I got it to move. I'm moving it so I can get it to the my friend's house. Mhm. Well, not my friend's house, but my neighbor was trying to help me. Right. So If you don't mind me asking, where's dad? Dad doesn't care. Jesse doesn't care. Nobody cares. Right. Everybody I'm sorry that happened. They stopped babysitting for me. My mom actually stole some money from me, like a lot of it. of it. One thing he didn't mention is he said he had a home. I was doing over into him. I was good. Right. I get an apartment and look at this. It It was pretty good here. I was like actually we can afford a few Airbnbs. And I can whatever. I just go but you know it got that way. Does dad or um mom, do they live in Key West or anything? No. No. They don't. My dad passed away. I'm sorry. His dad passed away? No, her dad. Oh. Yeah, he had a lot of money and me and my sister were fighting over it. My sister told me that she should be getting the most. Yeah. Cuz everything, you know, I've given and I've given. I have the proof to say that I've given and I've paid and I've been a I this is the first step but it's I mean I've done my job. I've been keeping my end of the I haven't It's just me and my sister and my family we just keep fighting so Upon hearing Maggie's story, the officers understood how difficult her situation was. But even so, keeping her son in those conditions, unresponsive despite the loud conversation and cold to the touch even as Maggie herself was sweating in the heat, was deeply unacceptable. And she was about to find out how the law deals with situations like this. Maggie, when was the last time he ate anything? He had God, he's really He had what? What is that? Pointed at the food. I'm sorry. Oreos? Okay. >> Oreos and he had Wendys. He had pizza. He's been eating. And he has not been eating a lot. Okay. I lost my food stamps 4 months ago. And he has not been eating a lot. Okay. Why is Why is he got all the bite marks and whatever else that is all over? >> the sun. That's from the sun? That's from the sun. It's It's he's got this It's like a fungus that we I got I used to have it too. My father had it. It's just from the the heat you get patches of it. I still have some more too. Has he uh have you brought him to the doctor at all because this is like When was the last time because this is like way way worse Listen, I'm talking, please. This is way way different than than we saw him the other day. That was not there. Have you brought him to the doctor? Well, I have to get out of here to go to the doctor cuz I don't have a doctor. Why don't you go to the hospital then? Or the urgent care or try to go to the clinic. We have a We have a free clinic here. Yeah, but I don't know anything about this place. Don't you think you should maybe check into that then? I need him to wake up. So, here's the thing. I know he's tired. But, I need I need him to wake up so we can talk to him. The officer didn't hold back as he questioned Maggie about why no medical help had been sought, especially when she clearly had the opportunity to do so. And the most alarming part wasn't just the sores, it was the fact that the boy wasn't waking up, no matter how loudly the officer spoke. Hey Max, I know you're tired, but can you look at me? Max. Hey, we met the other day. I'm Josh. Remember? Do you remember me? You got to wake up a little bit for me, buddy. So, if he Max I I need to make sure that you're okay. That's That's what I'm asking. And if I need to, I'll call an ambulance. I don't know that I need to, but but I'm going to cuz they need to look at some of this stuff. You think so? And then he can sit in the air conditioning for a little while, too. For what? It's not a terrible plan. All right, let's do that. Is that where he can I can get him up? Okay. Can you send rescue to your Valley at the child possible altered mental status and some skin lesions? What time did Max go to bed? I supposed to be 2 hours ago. Oh, so pretty recent. No wonder why he won't he don't want to wake up. He's exhausted. The little boy struggled to wake up only opening his eyes after numerous attempts by the officers. The condition he had been subjected to was deeply disturbing and there was no way it could go unnoticed. And your trip's been going on? Two years? Okay. I was doing it just for my cell phone. He was doing it. I got him No, I'm kind of freaking out. We've got to redirect. So EMS is here to check him out. We got to get them to come back. They went the other way. No, no, no, the EMS is here. All right. They're here to come check out Max. As the investigation continued, the boy was rushed to the hospital as the officer recognized that the lack of sweating could indicate dangerously high body temperature. Officers also suspected that Maggie was under the influence of narcotics, something that was later confirmed during the investigation. In the end, Maggie was charged with causing great bodily harm with a bond set at $10,000 while her son was taken into DCF [music] custody.