Texas executive gives unbelievable excuse for leaving 6-month-old baby alone on beach

A Texas healthcare executive and her husband have been arrested for leaving their six-month-old baby unattended on a beach for over an hour

Published on: Oct 22, 2025, 06:47:57 IST

By Sanya Jain

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A Texas healthcare executive and her husband have been arrested for leaving their six-month-old baby unattended on a beach for over an hour. Sara Sommers Wilks and Brian Wilks went for a walk with their three older children on October 10, while their six-month-old daughter slept under a tent on a Florida beach.

Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, was recognized earlier this year by Cardiovascular Business on its “Forty Under 40” list, (Walton County Sheriff's Office)

According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, beachgoers found a baby alone beneath a tent at Miramar Beach. The cops received reports of the unattended baby around noon on October 10.

The excuse

Sara and Brian Wilks have faced backlash for the excuse they gave for leaving the child unattended.

The couple claimed that the baby usually napped during that time, so they thought it was okay to leave her alone. Eventually, they lost track of time while walking on the beach with their three older children.

“Mr. Wilks stated that the infant usually naps during this time and was asleep when they left the infant in the tent unattended,” an arrest report from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office obtained by The New York Post read.

“The defendant stated that they lost track of time and did not realize how long they had been gone,” the report added.

The police report also revealed that the parents left the napping baby around 11 am and did not return until 12.06 pm. Brian, 40, and Sara, 37, were arrested after they returned to the spot.

Who is Sara Wilks?

Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, was recognized earlier this year by Cardiovascular Business on its “Forty Under 40” list, which described her as “an exceptional leader” in the medical field.

Security footage confirmed that she and her husband left their baby behind, along with their cell phones, for over an hour.

Both parents were charged with neglect without great bodily harm. They spent the night in jail before posting $1,000 bail.

(Also read: Who is Sara Wilks? Texas mom who was named to ‘40 Under 40’ list charged after leaving baby alone on Florida beach)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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