A Florida mother is facing a child neglect charge after deputies say she left her 12-year-old daughter alone at a bar inside Universal CityWalk Orlando and went off to keep partying on her own.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Us Weekly, 33-year-old Amanda Thorpe was arrested on March 7 after what started as a report about a missing child turned into something much more disturbing.
When deputies arrived, they found the girl sitting alone at the CW Shoreline Bar.
She was reportedly crying, visibly upset, and sitting by herself on a bar stool while adults around her tried to figure out where her mother had gone.
Witnesses Say the Night Fell Apart in Front of Everyone
Authorities say Thorpe had been at the bar with her daughter when something a patron said appeared to set her off.
According to the affidavit, Thorpe was already intoxicated at that point. She allegedly told her daughter she wanted to leave and go to the Red Coconut Club. But the 12-year-old reportedly told her mother she was tired and wanted to go back to their hotel instead.
That is when the situation allegedly escalated fast.
Deputies say Thorpe became angry with her daughter, made an obscene gesture toward her, cursed at her, and then walked out of the bar without her.
People nearby saw the whole thing happen.
Witnesses alerted staff, and Universal security was called in to help. Instead of treating it like a child who had wandered off, investigators soon realized the girl had been left behind.
That shift is what makes the story feel especially upsetting. This was not a child getting separated in a crowded tourist area. Authorities say it was a mother choosing to walk away while her daughter sat there crying.
Security Found Her Mother on the Dance Floor
While security stayed with the girl, other team members began looking for Thorpe.
According to the affidavit, they eventually found a woman matching her description inside the Red Coconut Club, another venue at Universal CityWalk Orlando.
She was reportedly alone on the dance floor with an alcoholic drink in her hand.
Security escorted her out, and deputies say the signs of intoxication were obvious. The affidavit describes Thorpe as unsteady on her feet, swaying, and showing other visible signs that she had been drinking.
When questioned, she allegedly told authorities she did not realize her daughter was missing from the club. She also reportedly claimed the girl was back at their hotel and no longer at CityWalk.
That answer only made the situation sound more chaotic.
According to the affidavit, Thorpe also made a spontaneous comment suggesting she did not understand why she would be going to jail because she had done something like this before.
The Child Was Safely Reunited With Family
Thankfully, the girl was not left alone for long.
Reports say her grandfather later picked her up, and authorities made sure she was reunited with relatives after Thorpe was taken into custody.
The case was also reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Stories like this hit hard because they take what should have been an ordinary vacation outing and turn it into the kind of moment a child is likely to remember for all the wrong reasons. A crowded tourist destination, a crying tween alone at a bar, and a mother found partying elsewhere is the kind of combination that leaves people asking how things unraveled that badly in the first place.
In this case, other adults noticed, stepped in, and made sure the child was not left to deal with it alone.
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