CUTLER BAY, FLA. (WSVN) - A 38-year-old woman is facing charges of child neglect after, police said, her four-year-old daughter was discovered wandering alone at a Wawa gas station in Cutler Bay.

Police said the incident unfolded around 2:30 a.m., Tuesday, when a customer found the young girl at the Wawa gas station located at 11101 SW 184th Street in Cutler Bay. The concerned customer brought the child inside the gas station and alerted the staff, who then contacted the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Upon MDPD’s arrival, they secured the child and located her mother, identified as Tracy Stark, of Miami, sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle with the door open.

According to police, Stark was slow to respond when questioned about the situation. When asked if she was alone, Stark reportedly said she initially forgot her daughter was in the car but later showed a picture of the child to the officers.

Stark was subsequently detained and escorted to the MDPD South District Station, where she was read her Miranda warnings.

Post-Miranda, Stark claimed she fell asleep at the air pumps, and her daughter must have exited the vehicle. Stark admitted to being unaware of the child’s location for approximately 40 minutes, during which she couldn’t provide the necessary care or supervision, the arrest report states.

Stark was charged with felony child neglect for failing to maintain the well-being of her daughter. She was transported to TGK.

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