Florida police are calling a restaurant manager and an Orlando waitress who used secret signals to get help for an allegedly abused child.
Flavaine Carvalho warned the police after noticing worrying signs in a family who served on New Year’s Day at Mrs. Potato’s restaurant on South Kirkman Road in Orlando, Florida.
Carvalho’s tip led to a police investigation that resulted in several charges of child abuse and neglect for the boy’s mother and stepfather.
The Orlando Police Department shared a video in which Carvalho reported his experience.
She said the family was a “normal family”.
“I noticed that the boy had no food,” said Carvalho, “it was the first thing that caught my attention.”
Carvalho said he tried to ask the boy if something was wrong; Stepfather Timothy Wilson II, 34, apparently told Carvalho that everything was fine and that the boy was going to have dinner at home after they left.
“That was very strange for me,” said Carvalho, describing the boy as showing signs of abuse and neglect, including a scratch on his head. “I could see that he was super quiet and sad.”
She tried to ask if he was okay and the boy nodded, “but he didn’t convince me,” said Carvalho.
She came back with a written sign and showed him behind her parents’ back and, after several attempts, “he nodded,” said Carvalho.
She said she called 911 and the police arrived shortly after.
The boy’s stepfather was arrested that day and charged with a third-degree child abuse charge.
After a police investigation revealed much worse allegations and signs of abuse, the stepfather was arrested again on January 6 and charged with several counts of aggravated child abuse.
The boy’s mother, Kristen Swann, 31, was also arrested on January 6 and faces two charges of child neglect for not reporting the abuse.
“By saying something when she saw something, Ms. Carvalho showed courage and affection for a child she had never met before, and we are proud of someone like Ms. Carvalho who lives and works in our community,” said the Police Department of Orlando in a statement.
Swann and Wilson did not return calls seeking comment on Friday.
