A 34-year-old father from West Virginia, identified as Juan Jose Benitez-Chacon, reportedly decided his Florida trip was more important than his own child, leaving his 8-year-old son home alone in a garage for an entire week in an “extremely unsafe” situation. No food, no water, no bathroom. Just an eight-year-old trying to survive until help arrived.
Now, it’s one thing when a parent makes a poor judgment call like leaving a kid home for a quick run to the store. This goes beyond poor judgment, and it reads like outright abandonment. According to authorities in Harrison County, West Virginia, deputies responded to Benitez-Chacon’s home after getting a tip that the boy had been left alone. When officers arrived, they discovered the child living in what was described as a “small garage,” completely unsupervised, per Law and Crime.
Neighbors apparently stepped in during the day to provide bits of help here and there, but when nighttime fell, the child was completely alone. No audible range of any adult, no one to comfort him if he woke up scared, and no one to step in if there was an emergency. It’s chilling to think about what could have gone wrong in just one night, let alone seven.
West Virginia Boy Left In Small Garage For A Week While Father Partied In Florida
And the kicker? The dad was off in Florida with no known return date. Authorities made it clear that leaving a child in such a vulnerable state, especially locked away without access to basic necessities, was “extremely unsafe.” That might be the understatement of the year.
This isn’t even the first time Benitez-Chacon has found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Back in 2023, he was charged with felony child neglect after allegedly leaving his then-6-year-old home alone so he could go out drinking. He ended up pleading guilty to misdemeanor neglect, served one year of unsupervised probation, and apparently didn’t learn a thing from the whole ordeal.
Now, he’s facing a far more serious charge: gross neglect of a child, creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. He’s currently sitting in North Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 bond, having pleaded not guilty at his latest court appearance. Whether or not he walks free before trial, it’s safe to say West Virginia parents everywhere are shaking their heads.
Is The Neighborhood Also To Blame?
Culturally, this story hits hard because neglect cases involving kids tug at everyone’s sense of morality. We’ve all seen Hollywood spin tales of neglected or abandoned children into blockbuster dramas, but when it happens in real life, it feels raw and enraging. “Why didn’t the neighbors take him in and call the police. How did this go on for a week?” one person said.
It’s reported that the West Virginia boy was given limited attention by the surrounding neighbors during the day. However, he was completely alone at night. So, why did it take so long for those neighbors to do something?
Hunter Spears 
Kenna Raye 
