Two 5-year-old children were held for hours in shed with door blocked, FL cops

A babysitter stopped caring for two 5-year-old children, leaving them imprisoned for hours in a Florida shed, according to investigators.

It happened Saturday, June 28, at a home in the Waldo area, and witnesses are credited with alerting authorities, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 30 news release.

“According to the witnesses, the children had been locked inside the shed with a brick placed against the door, apparently to prevent them from leaving,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The shed had no electricity or running water, and deputies noted that a large knife was within the children’s reach. They had been left without food or any way to call for help. The witnesses identified two individuals connected to the incident.”

An investigation revealed a 37-year-old woman left the children in the care of Sabine Thrift, 59, officials said.

“However, Thrift allegedly refused to supervise them,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies determined that she had left the children without adequate supervision or basic necessities, including food, water, and access to a phone.”

The 37-year-old told deputies she “only stepped away for a quick errand, but was gone for several hours,” officials said.

Investigators did not reveal her relationship to the children.

Thrift was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect, and Stoiber was arrested and charged with two counts each of child neglect and and false imprisonment, jail records show.

Waldo is about a 55-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. Temperatures in the area rose to 90 degrees on June 28, according to AccuWeather.

This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 6:49 AM with the headline "Two 5-year-old children were held for hours in shed with door blocked, FL cops."