On March 12th, 2021, a mother made a choice that would forever haunt her children’s lives.

Valencia Brooks, a 35-year-old woman from Miami, stood in the doorway of her children’s bedroom, looking at her 12-year-old twins, Zion and Zara, and 9-year-old Amari.

She knew this would be the last time she would ever see them.

With no regrets, she packed her bags, grabbed her keys, and walked out, leaving her three children behind.

But what makes this case absolutely unfathomable is that Valencia didn’t just leave for a few days.

She left for three long years—1,095 days—of total abandonment.

For three years, Zion, Zara, and Amari were left to survive alone in a two-bedroom apartment in Miami, learning to fend for themselves with no adult supervision, no guidance, and no love from the person who was supposed to care for them.

What makes it even worse is that Valencia didn’t completely disappear from their lives.

Every month, she paid their rent.

Every Tuesday, she arranged for food deliveries, just enough to keep them alive, just enough to avoid being charged with neglect or murder.

But not once did she visit.

Not once did she come back to check on her children.

This is the chilling true-crime story of a woman who walked away from her responsibilities, erasing her children from her life.

It will shock you, disturb you, and make you question how such a thing could happen in modern society.

The Start of a Heartbreaking Journey

To understand how a mother could abandon her children, you need to understand Valencia Brooks.

Born into a middle-class family in Atlanta, she was given every opportunity to succeed, growing up in a loving, supportive environment.

But even as a teenager, there were signs of trouble.

Valencia craved attention.

She needed to be the center of every room, the star of every story.

Her looks became her tool to get whatever she wanted, dating older men and seeking validation through relationships.

By 17, she was pregnant with her first child, Essence, but the father, Marcus Williams, vanished the moment the baby was born.

Valencia didn’t feel remorse.

Instead, she saw her child as an obstacle to her desires and handed Essence to her mother, Diana.

She promised she’d return, but she never did.

For Valencia, children were burdens to be discarded.

She moved to Miami, where she lived off men, bouncing from job to job, but never taking on any serious commitments.

But in 2005, she met Marcus Richard, a successful man with money, and got pregnant with twins, Zion and Zara.

Marcus left when the twins were six months old, leaving Valencia to face the reality of raising children alone.

Once again, she abandoned her responsibilities, moving into an apartment in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, using government assistance to fund her life.

She learned to hide her children, keeping them out of sight from boyfriends, neighbors, and social workers.

She perfected the art of living two lives—one of luxury and one of neglect.

The Turning Point

In 2021, Valencia met Demetrius Taylor, a man with a successful landscaping business and no interest in children.

Valencia was determined to start a new life with him, but her three children were in the way.

So, she made a choice to erase them from her life completely.

She planned their abandonment meticulously.

She researched automatic bill pay systems, arranged for food deliveries, and told her children that she would be “gone for business.”

On March 12th, 2021, she left for good.

Her children, Zion, Zara, and Amari, were left alone to survive.

They learned to fend for themselves—rationing food, staying out of sight, and trying to survive in an apartment that was falling apart.

For three years, the children lived in isolation, hidden from the world.

A Neighbor Notices the Unthinkable

It wasn’t until February 2024 that someone finally noticed something was wrong.

Michelle Rodriguez, a new neighbor in apartment 4C, had been hearing strange noises coming from apartment 4B—the home of the Brooks family.

Shuffling, scraping, strange sounds that seemed “almost animal-like.”

She started paying closer attention, noticing that no adults ever came and went.

The children were never seen.

When Michelle finally heard crying through the wall, she called 911, requesting a welfare check.

A Terrifying Discovery

When officers arrived on February 20th, 2024, they found the children in unimaginable conditions.

Zion, now 14, was emaciated, his hair matted, his fingernails long and dirty.

Behind him, Zara and Amari huddled, looking just as malnourished and terrified.

The apartment was filthy, with piles of trash everywhere.

The children were living in squalor, and Valencia had been absent for years.

As the investigation began, authorities uncovered the full extent of Valencia’s cruelty.

She had continued to pay for rent and food deliveries but had completely abandoned her children emotionally, leaving them to survive on their own.

Her social media painted a different picture—of a woman living a carefree, luxurious life, far removed from the chaos she had left behind.

The Shocking Arrest

Five days after the children were discovered, police found Valencia in her luxurious Coral Springs home, living a life of comfort.

When confronted by authorities, Valencia denied any wrongdoing, even claiming she had “paid the rent” and “made sure they had food.”

But the evidence was damning.

Valencia was arrested and charged with child abandonment and neglect.

She was sentenced to 45 years in prison with no parole for 25 years.

Her children, Zion, Zara, and Amari, were placed with foster parents, but the damage done to them would last a lifetime.

The Aftermath

This story is not just about one woman’s abandonment—it’s a story about a system that failed to protect these children.

For three years, no one noticed.

Neighbors, schools, social services—everyone missed the signs.

Valencia Brooks exploited every crack in the system to hide her neglect.

It raises a chilling question: how many other children are out there, forgotten, waiting for someone to notice?

Let this story be a reminder to us all to pay attention.

Because sometimes, the children in our own neighborhoods are the ones no one is watching.