Individual Accused of Abandoning 15-Month-Old Child in an Unlocked Car During Gambling Outing
A Massachusetts woman named Elyse Busch was arrested at Bally's Tiverton Casino & Sportsbook in Rhode Island on July 12, 2025, for child neglect. The incident occurred when Busch left her 15-month-old baby unattended in a white Toyota vehicle in the casino parking lot.
The Tiverton Police Department responded to a call from the casino's security and identified Busch as the vehicle's owner through a check of the vehicle's registration. Busch was found gambling on a slot machine on the casino floor when police located her. Casino surveillance video showed Busch entering the casino more than 30 minutes prior to her arrest.
Leaving a child unattended in an unlocked vehicle may satisfy the definition of neglect, as defined by Massachusetts law, which includes failure to provide minimally adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, emotional stability, and other essential care. Rhode Island law also considers this behavior seriously, as it puts the child at significant risk.
Busch is scheduled to appear in Newport District Court on July 17. If found guilty of such a felony criminal offense in Massachusetts, she faces up to 2.5 years in prison, fines of up to $1,000, and possible loss of custody.
Incidents of children being left in vehicles while their caretakers gamble inside casinos have been prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast during the hotter-than-usual summer of 2025. Heatstroke can develop rapidly within minutes, posing severe risk of injury or death, which likely informs the strict enforcement of such laws.
The arrest occurred in Tiverton, Rhode Island, which is approximately 35 miles east of the Bally's casino. Rhode Island is one of only seven jurisdictions in the country where iGaming is allowed, allowing people to gamble on a legal, regulated slot machine or table game without visiting a physical casino. Onset, Massachusetts, where Busch resides, is located nearby.
Bally's Tiverton Casino & Sportsbook features 1,000 slot-like video lottery terminals and 32 live-dealer table games. The baby was found asleep in the car, and it is unclear if the vehicle was running or if a window was down. Tiverton Police referred the matter to both the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Busch was released on $3,000 surety bail.
This case underscores the importance of responsible parenting and the consequences of neglecting a child's safety. It also highlights the active enforcement of child protection laws in casino parking lots.
- Elyse Busch, a Massachusetts woman, was arrested at Bally's Tiverton Casino & Sportsbook in Rhode Island on July 12, 2025, for child neglect, as she left her 15-month-old baby unattended in a car in the casino parking lot.
- The Tiverton Police Department responded to the call from the casino's security and identified Busch as the vehicle's owner, finding her gambling on a slot machine on the casino floor.
- Rhode Island law considers leaving a child unattended in an unlocked vehicle as serious, putting the child at significant risk, similar to Massachusetts law.
- Incidents of children being left in vehicles while their caretakers gamble inside casinos have been prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast during the hotter-than-usual summer of 2025.
- Bally's Tiverton Casino & Sportsbook, located approximately 35 miles east of the Bally's casino in Rhode Island, features 1,000 slot-like video lottery terminals and 32 live-dealer table games.
- This case emphasizes the importance of responsible parenting, the consequences of neglecting a child's safety, and the active enforcement of child protection laws in casino parking lots.
