Parents of baby abandoned at casino appear in court

A judge today gave prosecutors until Nov. 24 to decide whether to file charges against the parents of a 10-month-old boy left a Strip casino.

The parents, 37-year-old David Luna-Cardenas and 35-year-old Maria Larios-Cortes, were held over the weekend on suspicion of child endangerment and child neglect, but authorities returned the baby to them Sunday.

Metro Police arrested the parents Friday after the baby was left in a stroller in front of the Imperial Palace hotel and casino for more than an hour.

At about 5:35 p.m. Friday, officers arrived at the hotel after two concerned tourists reported to security guards that the baby was left alone in his stroller, police said.

Through video surveillance cameras, officers identified the parents, police said.

The parents were gambling inside the casino, police said. When questioned, they said they had left the baby after they had argued. The parents left the baby in his stroller on the sidewalk in front of the casino, police said.

The parents were booked into the Clark County Detention Center and will appear in court Nov. 24, a court spokesman said. They appeared before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa on Tuesday. Court staff and authorities will meet Nov. 3 for a screening of the case.

The family was visiting Las Vegas, police said. The baby was returned to the parents on Sunday morning, said Yvette Sical, who said she was a friend of the family. "They didn't abandon the baby. It was a mistake," Sical said.

Both parents are attorneys from Guadalajara, Mexico, Sical said. They were in Las Vegas for two weeks and planned to return to Mexico on Thursday. They will be in Las Vegas for their court appearance, she said.

The video tapes from the hotel have been booked as evidence and are not being released by police.