How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mounir and Rebecca El-Rhazouani UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Daytona Beach Shores, Florida,  Alabama foster parents Mounir El-Rhazouani, 31,  and Rebecca El-Rhazouani,32, “have been arrested after they allegedly forced their foster children to stay in the sun, even though they were already sunburned.

Mounir El-Rhazouani, 31, and Rebecca El-Rhazouani, 32, were staying at Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Shores, Florida, when they are said to have ignored the youngsters’ pleas to come inside.

Hotel staff contacted the authorities to warn them they were concerned for the two and five-year-old’s well-being. 

Bodycam footage as the officers approached the couple sitting by a hotel pool to, released by TV Station WKMG in Orlando, shows the parents alone drinking beer.

They then tell the deputies they have left the children in the hotel room on their own.

The clip then flips to a hotel staff member, who tells an officer: ‘The child wanted to get out of the sun so bad that it was literally running to that door over there, screaming, trying to get into the door and the father would not take the child inside.’

Rebecca El-Rhazouani told officers one of her children had eczema, alleging that is why the toddler may have appeared red.

The parents then led officers to the room, where they found more beer and a pocket knife.

The mother is then heard on the radio saying: ‘My poor babies, oh, my gosh, my poor babies. I was going to put them to bed, I promise, I was going to get my stuff and put them to bed. Oh, my gosh.’

She claimed she was only going downstairs to get their belongings.

The couple was arrested for two counts of child neglect. They have since posted bond

Drunk Alabama couple arrested after forcing sunburned foster kids to stay out in sun while on vacation in Florida
[Daily Mail 5/17/15 by Wills Robinson]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

Update:”A Phenix City couple arrested last week in Florida for refusing to allow their sunburned foster children in out of the sun are being investigated by the Alabama Department of Human Resources and their children have been removed from their home.

Barry Spear, public information manager for DHR, said on Monday that the agency’s policy requires investigation of any foster parent charged with a crime.

“As a matter of policy, if a foster parent is arrested, the department immediately investigates the circumstances of the arrest to determine if foster children in the home are safe,” Spear said. “Any foster children living in the home are removed until the investigation is completed.”

Once the investigation is concluded, DHR officials will determine if the children should be placed in a new home, Spear said.

Mounir and Rebecca El-Rhazouani were arrested on Thursday and charged with child neglect after staff at the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach Shores called the police out of concern for the well-being of the couple’s children, ages 5 and 2.

A hotel security officer was heard on a police officer’s body camera footage telling investigators that the couple, who appeared drunk, had refused several times to let one of the children in out of the sun. The child appeared dehydrated and badly sunburned.

“The child wanted to get out of the sun so bad that it was literally running to that door over there, screaming, trying to get in the door, and the father would not take the child inside,” the security officer says in the video.

By the time officers arrived at the scene, the children had been let inside – but officers found them alone in the family’s hotel room while the El-Rhazouanis sat by the pool, drinking beer.

Rebecca El-Rhauzouani told police the redness seen on the baby’s skin was caused by eczema. She also told the officers that she left the children alone in the room only to retrieve some belongings.

“I was going to put them to bed, I promise; I was going to go get my stuff and go put them to bed,” a tearful El-Rhauzouani is heard telling police as she is handcuffed and led out of the hotel.

Both parents were booked into the Volusia County jail and later released.”

State investigating Alabama foster parents arrested for child neglect on Florida vacation[Al.com 5/18/15 by Crystal Bonvillian]

Update 2: “The State of Alabama has revoked the foster parent status of a Phenix City couple arrested in May at a Florida hotel for forcing their foster children to stay in the hot sun even after one of the children was badly sunburned.

Mounir El-Rhazouani, 31, and Rebecca El-Rhazouani, 32, were subsequently investigated by the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Barry Spear, public information manager for DHR, confirmed that the children were never returned to the couple after the investigation began.

“The couple involved in that incident are no longer foster parents,” Spear toldAL.com on Tuesday. “Confidentiality laws prevent me from further comment.”

The El-Rhazouanis were each charged with two felony counts of child neglect May 14 after police officers found them drinking beer by the pool at the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach Shores. When the officers asked about the children, they learned the kids were upstairs alone in the family’s hotel room.

Hotel staff had called the police out of concern for the children, ages 5 and 2 years old, after they earlier saw the parents repeatedly refusing to allow the children to go inside and cool off.

Video footage from an officer’s body camera, obtained by WKMG Local 6, shows hotel security telling the officers, “The child wanted to get out of the sun so bad that it was literally running to that door over there, screaming, trying to get in the door, and the father would not take the child inside.”

When questioned about the sunburn on at least one of the children, Rebecca El-Rhauzouani told police the baby has eczema. She also claimed she left the children alone in the room only to retrieve their belongings.

“I was going to put them to bed, I promise; I was going to go get my stuff and go put them to bed,” a tearful El-Rhauzouani is heard telling police as she is handcuffed and led out of the hotel.”

Alabama couple who left sunburned kids in hot sun during Florida vacation ‘no longer foster parents’ [Al.com 6/30/15 by Crystal Bonvillian]