Severe weather alerts are in effect around the state as slow-moving storms head southbound through Connecticut, bringing heavy rains and thunder.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Middlesex and New Haven counties until 5:15 p.m.

One cell passed over Middletown and is moving southwest toward Cheshire and Hamden.

At the height of the storm, Stoneycrest Drive in Middletown was under three feet of water. At least one car stalled out and was stranded on the road, according to Mayor Daniel T. Drew. Fire officials arrived at the scene to rescue the passengers trapped inside.

The mayor said the catch basins on Stoneycrest were overflowing and that it could take some time for the water to subside. Residents of three nearby apartment buildings were asked to stay inside.

The water has drained and the road has since reopened.

Parts of Route 3 in Middletown were also flooded, and hail is coming down along Interstate 91 near the Meriden-Middletown line.

Portland is experiencing and heavy rains and lightning, according to town officials. Thunder and lighning in neighboring East Hampton have brought two inches of rain in the past hour alone.

Hail, gusty winds, lightning and heavy rains are also moving northwest through the area of Wolcott and Waterbury in New Haven County.

A smaller cell bringing lighting is moving south through Sharon and Salisbury.

Flood advisories are in effect for Middlesex, New London, Tolland and Fairfield counties until 5:30 p.m. and a flash flood warning has been issued for Fairfield County until 5:45 p.m.

The storm cells are capable of producing thunderstorms, pouring rains and localized flooding.

If you see it, share it. Send your severe weather photos to shareit@nbcconnecticut.com.

Track the storm cells with our First Alert interactive radar.

"He stood over top of his longtime friend and fired nine more times, shooting him in his head and killing him."

That's how Philadelphia Police Homicide Cpt. James Clark described Daquan Crump's "vicious" shooting death, all over a video game console.

The day before a teenager is laid to rest, his childhood friend was charged with shooting him multiple times in the head. Police say he was angry because he wasn't included in the sale of a stolen PlayStation.

Police arrested Malik Anderson, 18, around 5 this morning in his home on Tomlinson Road and charged Anderson with killing Crump.

A construction worker found Crump's body around 7:15 a.m. on Aug. 19 at the former site of Black Red White Furniture along the 10000 block of Northeast Avenue in the Somerton section of Northeast Philadelphia. Clark said the killing happened about two hours earlier.

According to Clark, Anderson and Crump grew up together and were together with three or four other friends the night before the killing hanging out at each other's houses, playing video games, going to 7-Eleven and watching television.

Clark said that Anderson, angry over being left out of the $60 PS3 sale, lured Crump to the demolition site and shot Crump in the back of the head causing him to fall to the ground. Clark said Anderson then shot Crump nine more times in the head as Crump laid on the ground.

"Be very careful how you choose your friends," warned Clark.

Investigators believe Anderson acted alone in the murder. The killing stemmed from a disagreement over a scheme to sell a stolen PlayStation 3 game console.

"Daquan and Malik, who were childhood friends, had conspired to steal another childhood friend's PlayStation console game," Clark said Wednesday afternoon. "Allegedly Daquan carried out this plan alone without Malik."

Crump allegedly cut Anderson out of the sale when he sold the unit on the street for $60.

"In their mind, this is worth a human life," Clark said. "Because I didn't get a cut of a $60 profit from a used PlayStation game I'm gonna stand over top and shoot a kid that I've been friends with since I was 10, 11 years old. It's really unconscionable and it's just very, very sad and very tragic."

Investigators found Anderson's .22 caliber automatic handgun inside the teen's refrigerator. Clark said it wasn't clear where Anderson got the pistol.

Earlier, Clark said "it was very personal and very vicious" attack. 

Crump's death rocked his Northeast Philadelphia community.

"He doesn't deserve whatever happened to him," said Crump's mother Sherron Kaba.

The construction site where Crump was found is located across the street from the fields behind George Washington High School not far from Red Lion Road and the Roosevelt Boulevard (Route 1).

Police say Crump both lived and worked in the neighborhood and that he never had any trouble with the law. Crump was a GW High grad who began working at a neighbor Wendy's a couple weeks before his death, according to his family. Clark said he got that job in part due to pressure from his family being upset that he wasn't doing much.

Crump's backpack, which he always carried, was near his body. Inside was his Wendy's uniform. The fast-food restaurant was the last place he was seen when he left work around 11 p.m. the Saturday before the shooting.

Crump's family plans to bury the teen Thursday morning after a viewing and service at Bethel Deliverance International Church in Wyncote, Pa.

Mei Xiang, the National Zoo's giant panda, is proving to be a doting mom. Today, her zookeepers couldn't tempt her to eat a snack; instead, she preferred to keep cuddling her days-old cub.

Avoiding food and drink is typical for female giant pandas who have just given birth.

But her keepers tried. They offered up some of her favorite treats: diluted apple juice, a sweet potato and a pear. Mei Xiang licked the sweet potato, but wouldn't eat. She did drink some apple juice.

The entire time that she was drinking, she did not put her cub down. Zookeepers said they could hear the cub squawking, and that it sounded healthy.

Mei Xiang gave birth to the cub Friday afternoon after approximately two hours of labor. The zoo said a second cub birthed by the giant panda the next day was stillborn.

Zoo personnel have examined the cub once, on Sunday. But other than that Mei Xiang has kept her cub close.

While they won’t know the sex of the cub for another couple of weeks, they were able to take vital sign readings Sunday. The cub weighed 137 grams or 4.8 ounces, had good heart and lung sounds, and good signs for intestinal function.

• WATCH: National Zoo's Panda Cam

Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated twice March 30 after failing to breed naturally with the zoo's male panda Tian Tian. It's not clear who the proud father is: Mei Xiang was inseminated with previously frozen semen from both Tian Tian and Gao Gao, a panda at the San Diego Zoo.

Mei Xiang has given birth to two cubs in the past. A female cub, born last September, lived only six days. Her birth was a surprise; she had not shown up on any ultrasounds. An autopsy determined she may have been born prematurely. Mei Xiang's only surviving cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and now lives in China.

According to an agreement with the Chinese government, the cub will stay at the National Zoo for four years and will then be sent to China. 

MORE ON NBCWASHINGTON.COM

• DC Zoo on 24-Hour Panda Pregnancy Watch
• DC Zoo: Panda Behavior Hints at Possible Pregnancy
• Pregnant Panda? National Zoo Temporarily Closing Part of Panda House
• Panda Pregnancy Watch: Back On for 2013
• National Zoo's Upgraded Panda Cams Go Live
• National Zoo Inseminates Giant Panda
• Zoo: Mei Xiang Settling Back Into Routine
• Panda's Distress Call
• National Zoo Panda Cub Dies

Police are still searching for the person who killed a Norwich woman in her apartment two years ago, and the governor's office has announced a $25,000 reward for information that could help lead to an arrest.

Jaclyn Wirth, 26, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 14, 2011. Investigators said the bullets were shot through the front door of her apartment at Mohegan Commons.

Investigators are on the hunt for the person responsible, and are asking for help in identifying a suspect.

In 2011, police said they were looking for a male shooter. They described him as a six-foot-tall heavyset man.

The office of the governor is offering a $25,000 reward in exchange for information about the incident, and the victim’s family has posted a billboard advertising the reward.

The billboard went up today at the corner of North High and West Main streets in Norwich.

"I want it to pull at their heart strings.  I want them to know that they took a mommy away from her kids and they're left with no answers," said Peggy Lufkin, the victim's aunt.

Wirth died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. She was the mother of two sons, who were 2 and 7 years old at the time of her death.

"It will help find who did this," said Sergio Medero, the victim's oldest son, who is now 9 years old.  "I'm kinda curious just to figure out why."

Police said Wirth died after calling 911.

Anyone with information should contact the Norwich Police Department Detective Division at 860-892-2892 or 860-886-5561 ext. 550.

Middletown police arrested a local woman after a 3-year-old boy she was babysitting was found alone and wet, wandering in the street early Wednesday morning, police said.

A neighbor called police just before 2:30 a.m. to report finding the boy on Grove Street.

When police responded, the witness had the boy in the front seat of her car. He was wearing a wet blue T-shirt and pull-ups, but no pants, police said.

Police said there had been heavy rain and the temperature was around 68 degrees, at the time.

The boy felt a bit cold, police said. Officers dressed him in dry clothing, wrapped him in a blanket and called an ambulance, which brought the boy to Middlesex Hospital for evaluation.

Police found a door open at 91 Grove Street, about 200 yards away, and found Rebecca Quinn, 29, of that address, asleep inside, police said.

Quinn’s 11-month old daughter was also in the home.

Quinn told police that she was babysitting for the mother, who was at work, and was not aware that the boy had woken up or left the house, police said.

When Quinn learned the boy had been found outside, she was emotionally upset, according to a news release from police.

Quinn was charged with risk of injury to a minor and taken to police headquarters, where she told police that the front door had been closed and locked when she checked on the boy around midnight and he boy was asleep in a bedroom.

The doctor’s evaluation revealed the boy’s vital signs and condition were good.

Quinn was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and is due in court on September 6.

Washington, D.C. Councilman Marion Barry’s son was charged with driving under the influence and possession of marijuana in Virginia earlier this month.

Police observed 33-year-old Marion Christopher Barry driving a gray PT Cruiser erratically in Hampton about 9:10 p.m. Aug. 16, authorities said.

After stopping Barry, officers found he was carrying suspected marijuana, police said. A search of the vehicle revealed more suspected marijuana and synthetic marijuana.

Barry was arrested and charged with DUI, possession of marijuana and possession of synthetic marijuana.

He was released on his own recognizance and is expected in court Nov. 13.

Barry pleaded guilty in July 2011 to possession of marijuana and PCP and received a nine-month suspended sentence. His lawyer told News4 Washington he has completed his legal commitments on those charges.

The younger Barry is the only child of the D.C. councilman and former mayor, who was arrested in 1990 after he was caught on videotape smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. The elder Barry, who was in his third term as mayor at the time, was found guilty on a misdemeanor drug possession charge and served six months in prison.

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The body of a Southern California woman who has been missing for nearly two years was positively identified on an island off the coast of Panama last week, according to the FBI.

The body of Yvonne Baldelli, who has been missing since November 2011, was found zippered inside a bag on the coastline of Isla Carenero on Aug. 20. DNA analysis was used on the skull and bones by forensic scientists in Panama to identify Baldelli’s body.

Baldelli went missing about two years ago when she traveled to Panama with her boyfriend, 37-year-old Brian Karl Brimager.

Brimager is suspected of killing Baldelli, and he is accused of sending emails from her laptop pretending to be her and saying she was traveling to Costa Rica. He’s also accused of using her ATM card in Costa Rica during a two-day layover, and also using her card in San Jose to make it appear as though she was alive.

Brimager was arrested earlier this year for allegedly engaging in an elaborate scheme to cover up Baldelli’s death. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego in June on charges that he obstructed justice and made false statements to law enforcement.

Brimager faces 10 counts of obstruction of justice and one count of false statement to a federal officer. He faces a maximum sentence of 205 years in prison and a $2.5 million fine if found guilty of all charges.

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash on Route 4 in Farmington on Wednesday afternoon.

Police and emergency crews responded to the crash involving a motorcycle and a car in the area of 373 Collinsville Road around 3:50 p.m.

Arriving officers found a 50-year-old man with serious head and leg injuries. He was rushed to Hartford Hospital. The man's identity has not been released until police can notify his family.

The driver of the car was not injured, police said.

Route 4 was shut down from River Road to the Burlington town line for several hours while police investigated the crash.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call Farmington Police at 860-675-2400.

Fifty years ago, people from our area boarded buses bound for the March on Washington at the nation's Capitol.

Though they were mostly strangers, they shared a belief of racial equality.

Since then, the civil rights movement has won many victories, but some say Dr. King’s dream hasn’t been realized. That's why Richard Brown says he’s back a second time.

With a smile on his face, saluted by thunderous applause, University of Connecticut professor emeritus Richard Brown took to the front lines of today's commemorative event, joined by dozens of other veterans from the 1963 march.

“I’m thrilled to be able to be back here a second time," he said.

Brown trekked to the steps below the Lincoln Memorial five decades ago to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak. As the crowd of thousands prepared to make that journey again on Wednesday, officials first recognized those who marched for equality 50 years ago.

“It kind of surprised me because, of course, what I did was no different from what hundreds of thousands of other people did on that day," said Brown.

During an interview before he headed to DC, Brown opened up in a way he said he rarely does.

“From my position of relative privilege, it was important that I share in this effort,” Brown said.

He was a Harvard grad student at the time of the march. Inspired by Dr. King's dream, Brown said he turned his privilege into progress, fighting for equal employe meant opportunities for African-Americans in Boston.

“The movement didn’t win its victories overnight," said Brown. “I don’t expect that victories will be won overnight in our own time.”

But he does expect that 50 years later, he and others who gathered to march today can renew Dr. King's effort to move the country closer to justice for all.

“Long-term efforts by able people, committed, who have justice on their side, has a good chance,” Brown said.

A man is in the hospital tonight after he was hit by a car while riding his bike near the intersection of Meloy Road and Claudia Drive in West Haven, police said.

According to police, the collision happened around 7 p.m. and the driver stayed at the scene.

The bicyclist was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital. His identity and condition are unknown.

No arrests have been made, and police are still investigating.

A New Jersey woman admitted to beating her mother to death with a baseball bat in their home Wednesday morning, police say.

Hopatcong police said the suspect, Mirna Bolanos, 30, called 911 to report her mother was harassing her, then hung up.

When officers arrived at the Flora Avenue home, Bolanos was outside on the steps and told them she beat her mother to death with a baseball bat. 

Police found Bolanos' mother, 56-year-old Ligia Bolanos, dead inside the hallway, with a bloody baseball bat nearby. She had injuries to her skull, authorities said.

Mirna Bolanos was arrested and taken to Sussex County Jail. It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney.

Police said they have responded to Bolanos' home several times in the past for minor disputes between mother and daughter, including arguments over whether Mirna Bolanos had taken her medication for bipolar disorder.

Five students from a high school in Plano, a southwest suburb of Chicago, were released to the custody of their parents late Wednesday after being arrested and charged in a case of ongoing hazing at the school.

The Plano High School students, all boys younger than 17 at the time of the incidents, were charged with criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery and unlawful restraint, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis said.

Principal Eric Benson said he learned about one incident in early February involving the school's basketball team. Other incidents were revealed when the state's attorney's office got involved, he said.

Weis said there were multiple incidents between August 2012 and February of this year involving three victims. He said the five boys would attack the victims -- members of the same sports teams and not randomly selected -- in the locker room after practice.

He said there could be more incidents and more victims, and that the crimes might have been part of ongoing hazing rituals involving the football and boys basketball teams.

"There are indications incidents could have occurred before August 2012," Weis said. "It’s possible other victims could come forward."

For that reason, Weis and Plano Police Chief Steve Eaves said the investigation remains open.

Weis confirmed the incidents involved multiple students holding another student down. One of the offenders would then penetrate the victim with a finger.

He said only one of the youths charged did the penetrating, while the others held the victims down.

"It doesn’t appear to be a sexually motivated crime," Weis said. "It’s dominance, humiliation … this would be on the extreme end of hazing incidents I have heard of or dealt with."

Nick Ferazzo, a junior at the school, said the attacks were common knowledge among many of the student athletes and the reason he quit participating.

"If it were someone's birthday, they'll be messing around with him and they'll get too far into it," he said. "I didn't like what was going on so I just quit sports."

Benson said the school has taken measures to increase supervision in locker rooms and throughout the school, and did so immediately after an incident was first reported seven months ago.

Each of the boys have separate court dates through the end of October.

Anyone with information about the incidents should call Plano police at 630-552-8275.

Earlier this week a fifth student alleged hazing at Maine West High School in Des Plaines. That scandal has already cost two coaches their jobs.

These two twins have a special connection.

Owen and Emmett Ezell, born conjoined on July 17 and connected from the chest to the belly button, shared a liver and intestines. On Saturday, the boys underwent a successful separation surgery in Dallas that lasted almost six hours.

The twins were still in intensive care at Medical City Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, but they’re recovering in their own beds.

"It's wonderful for us to be able to sit here and think about, 'How are we going to bring these two boys home? What are they going to be like?" said their father, Dave Ezell, who spoke to NBC DFW via phone from the hospital.

"They're starting to open their little eyes, and they're starting to wiggle their little fingers," he said. "You can see that recognition in their face. It's truly heartwarming."

The family has kept family, friends and even strangers up to date on the pregnancy, birth and surgery through a blog and Facebook page. They’re now starting to write about the boys’ recovery.

On the pages, readers offer up encouragement and prayers. The Ezell family said it will gladly take all the support it can get.

Yet another woman has come forward claiming San Diego Mayor Bob Filner touched her inappropriately and exposed his "dark side," this time during an event at an elementary school.

Marilyn McGaughy, who's being represented by San Diego attorney Dan Gilleon, claims Filner made unwanted sexual advances on May 17 when she attended an event at Johnson Elementary School where the mayor was making a special appearance.

McGaughy’s friend’s son is a student at the school, and McGaughy was there that day because she often attends the boy’s school functions with his mother.

Gilleon says McGaughy approached Filner at the event because she had volunteered at a telephone bank during his campaign and finally wanted to meet the mayor in person.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

When McGaughy interacted with Filner, she claims the mayor touched her inappropriately, kissing her on the forehead and rubbing her breast before asking her out.

McGaughy, a workers compensation secretary in her 50s, spoke with NBC 7 on Wednesday regarding her experience with Filner.

On the day she met Filner, McGaughy says the mayor was respectful towards her at first, but then quickly became “aggressive,” allegedly tugging at a nametag she was wearing on her blouse and touching her breast.

“I was so shocked; I was just absolutely speechless,” she recalled. “I just stood there. I couldn’t believe it.”

McGaughy says Filner told her she was beautiful and said he liked her before asking her out on a date. He also inquired about a ring she was wearing. He then allegedly touched her face before planting a kiss on her forehead.

McGaughy says her friend – the mother of the 8-year-old boy who attends the school – witnessed the interaction and was also taken by complete surprise.

“I thought he was honorable. I thought he was a great man until he showed his dark side,” she added.

McGaughy says that after the kiss and unwanted groping, Filner put his arm around her waist, “yanking” her towards him as they walked across a school playground. She says she tried to pull away as they walked.

McGaughy says that as she left the school with her friend, the shock of what happened set in and she became very upset. She asked her friend to stay with her until they saw Filner and his security detail drive away from the school.

“It was just so unwarranted. I don’t know why he would behave that way. A man with his power,” she added. “He violated my space.”

McGaughy feels it’s finally time she came forward with her story.

“I thought it was important for me to finally speak out because I felt very uncomfortable when the incident happened, and I was really concerned that my friend’s son had seen what happened.”

McGaughy says her friend later told her that the young boy had been aware of her interaction with Filner.

“He said, ‘Mom, I think Mr. Filner was flirting with my Auntie Marilyn. Mommy, that’s how you act when you’re a boyfriend,’” McGaughy recalled.

According to Gilleon, McGaughy has not yet filed any formal complaints or a civil suit. However, through her attorney, she is now submitting a “demand for payment” from the City of San Diego for $250,000.

On Wednesday, she declined to comment on the "demand for payment" money, saying her attorney would address that portion of her case moving forward.

San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith says the city won’t just start handing out money to accusers.

“I don’t want to be insensitive to people that had inappropriate conduct directed to them, but not every time there’s inappropriate conduct, do you get to recover $250,000,” said Goldsmith.

Goldsmith says the city will handle each claim concerning Filner on its own merits, first determining whether or not the city is liable by looking to see if the accuser is a city employee, volunteer or contractor.

“We’re responsible for sexual harassment on employees, should it be proven,” he added.

Meanwhile, Filner’s last day in the mayor’s office is Friday, given his resignation announcement. His term as mayor officially ends at 5 p.m.

They came by the thousands, and in a show of solidarity, they marched on Washington like civil rights believers did half a century ago.

Former President Clinton called this one of the most important days in American History and, along with other speakers, echoed from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

And many of those quotable lines ring true for issues the nation faces today, even after all these years.
“People need to know from whence we came. I think it’s gotten lost because a lot of it isn’t taught or the just don’t know," said Veronica Davila.

Irene Brown from Connecticut added, “It’s very exciting, and then it’s also kind of sobering because we’ve made a lot of progress, but we have a lot more to do.”

When Congressman John Lewis – the only surviving speaker from the 1963 March – stepped up to the pulpit, someone in the crowd yelled, “Take your time, you’ve earned it!”

And in 1963, buses brought marchers to Washington from Hartford and around New England to rally for voting rights and against lynching, battles since won.

But today, the diverse crowd faces new fights: rights for gays and lesbians, and a new fight for voting rights as states like North Carolina enact voter ID requirements, which critics have called voter suppression laws.

“A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon," said former President Bill Clinton.

"From the violence that’s going on in the cities," said Eddie Callahan from New York, "I think we just need to tackle some of these community problems and make a stand.”

And civil rights activists who spoke said decades ago they would never have imagined having a black president.

“Freedom is not given, provided by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed," said President Obama, echoing Dr. King's words.

And at 3 p.m., the exact time when Dr. King spoke 50 years ago, bells around the country tolled, ringing to the same freedom in his dream.

“As the bells toll today," said Oprah Winfrey, "let us ask how will the dream live on in me, in you, in all of us."

Traffic was building on Interstate 95 South in New Haven after a three-vehicle crash, but the scene has since cleared.

The crash was between exits 46, which is Long Wharf Drive, and 45.

An early-morning house fire in Norwalk earlier this month has claimed the life of a second victim.

Authorities told The Hour newspaper on Wednesday that David Dubrow, 22, of Miami, Florida, died from injuries he suffered in the Aug. 18 fire in Norwalk. The medical examiner's office concluded the cause of death was "accidental/thermal injuries."

Another man, 22-year-old Norwalk native Michael Ness, died two days after the fire. Two other men were injured but survived.

Firefighters responded to the burning house shortly after 5:30 a.m. Officials said Dubrow and Ness were trapped inside and the other two men jumped out of windows.

The Miami New Times reports Dubrow interned there this summer and attended the University of Denver.

Ness, a 2009 graduate of Brien McMahon High School and lacrosse player, also attended the University of Denver, according to the Hour.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
 

Man bites dog. That's the classic example of what makes news.

And it really happened. But the headline in this case should technically be "Man Bites Police Dog."

Santa Clara County Sheriff's spokesman Kurtis Stenderup said they took Frank Garcia, 34, into custody on charges of  resisting arrest, brandishing weapon,  felony vandalism, being under the influence of a controlled substance and injuring a police dog - all from a bizarre incident on Monday near San Jose.

"Ski," the German Shepherd, suffered some scraped paws but is expected to be OK and return to work soon.

Garcia's photo was not immediately available because he is recovering from self-inflicted injuries in the hospital.

Some of the scuffle was caught on a cell phone video, which shows a deputy - gun raised - trying to talk down a man in a confrontation on Raymond Avenue in unincorporated San Jose.

Garcia, armed with what deputies are saying was a knife, slashed a tire and smashed several car windows prompting more deputies to be called out for help.

Still, the video shows the man continuing to resist arrest, and then he stabbed himself three times, according to the sheriff's office. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The deputies then released "Ski," which Garcia allegedly choked, punched and bit. Deputies were at that point able to tackle and subdue him.

A relative said she was thankful that the officers did not open fire on her cousin.

"Can you please tell the officer thank you for not shooting my cousin," Maxine Gonzales said. "I appreciate that he was really good and he handled himself really good."

 Here is the six-minute video - sometimes shot sideways - by Max Dehart on YouTube.

NBC Bay Area's Kristofer Noceda contributed to this report.

Silvia Aguiar says she is haunted every single day by questions she believes no mother should ever have to ask herself.

"Where is she? Who has her? What did they do to her?" she wonders about the child she gave birth to about four decades ago.

Her daughter Milagros was born May 17, 1977 to a mother who was just a child herself.

Aguiar became pregnant at age 16. The daughter of a struggling, Cuban exile father, Aguiar was often left without parental supervision while he worked. It was not long before she landed in Florida's foster care system, then overseen by the now-defunct Department of Human Rehabilitative Services.

Fugitive Wanted on Sex Charges Arrested in Miami: Officials

Aguiar told South Florida's NBC 6 that she and her newborn were placed in a Carol City foster home where she was sexually abused by her foster parents' older son. Aguiar said she and Milagros were separated after her foster sister made the sexual abuse known.

"You don't rob a child from a mother when she hasn't done nothing wrong," Aguiar said.

At about the time Milagros turned 1, Aguiar and her baby's father were sent letters to appear at Miami's Juvenile Justice Center, where Aguiar fears she may have signed her parental rights away without knowing it.

"I signed a paper that she gave me, a board with a paper," she said, adding that the baby's father signed it too. "Then, I said, 'OK, so where do we go,' and she goes, 'No, that's it. The baby was put up for adoption.' I was like, 'How could you do that,' and I got really upset, and she goes, 'Listen, you abandoned your daughter,' and she goes, 'If you don't leave quietly, we're going to have you removed out of here."

18-Year-Old in Coma After Breast Augmentation Needs Tracheotomy

Aguiar believes HRS had Milagros adopted, without her knowledge.

NBC 6 reached out to the Department of Children and Family Services, but they could not comment on the case.

Aguiar now lives in New Jersey, and has other children and grandchildren. Now that she is battling lupus and other ailments, she is desperate to reconnect with Milagros. In recent months, she has launched Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and blog sites in hopes her firstborn will find her before it's too late.

"I just want to tell her that I love her and I didn't give her up for adoption, and I want her to know her family," Aguiar said.

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