Alert Florida Waitress Saves Severely Abused Boy Who Came To Her Restaurant

The timely intervention of a Florida waitress has saved an 11-year-old boy from his abusive parents.

The Orlando Police Department, on New Year's Day, got a call from Flavaine Carvalho, who was working as a waitress at Mrs. Potato Restaurant on South Kirkman Road, about a possible child abuse case, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

Carvalho noticed that a young boy who came to her restaurant was oddly quiet. He had no food and had bruises on his face and arms. She suspected something was wrong when the entire family was talking and enjoying their meal while the child did nothing.

Carvalho wrote a note that said "Do you need help?" and held it up from a spot where only the child could see. After initial hesitation, the child signaled "yes" and Carvalho called the police.

Police said the child was tortured, beaten up, handcuffed and even hung upside down from a door. The victim's mother, identified as Kristen Swann, and stepfather, Timothy Lee II, were facing multiple charges, including child neglect and aggravated child abuse, The New York Daily News reported.

"We probably would be talking about a homicide investigation if she had not intervened," Police Chief Orlando Rolón said at a press conference Thursday.

The boy and his 4-year-old sister have been taken into state custody and both are safe now.

While Lee, who allegedly caused the injuries on the child, was arrested at the scene, Swann was charged days later for failing to stop the abuse.

Carvalho said she was serving the family that night when she noticed a "big scratch" and bruises on the victim's face and arms. When she found out that the boy didn't order any food, Carvalho went to the table and asked if everything was OK.

"I'm a mother also and that was very strange to me because you don't deny food to a kid, especially at a restaurant," she said at the press conference.

But, Lee and Swann told her everything was fine and that the boy would have his dinner at home later. That's when Carvalho wrote the note and showed it to the child. He initially signaled "no." Moments later, she wrote a second note asking if he needed help, to which he signaled "yes."

The boy was taken to a hospital where the doctors found bruises all over his body. "He was severely underweight and in pain," said Orlando Police Detective Erin Lawler, who was leading the investigation.

The child told the officers that the couple used to deny him food regularly and would sometimes punish him for failing to complete physical exercises.

"It was torture. There was no justification for it," Lawler said.

There is no evidence the boy's sister, who is the couple's biological daughter, has suffered any kind of torture. Lawler urged the public to follow Carvalho's example and report any suspicious activity to the police, no matter how small it may be.

"When you see something that is not right, act on it," he said. "Call us, let us know what is going on so we can follow through. We are 100% convinced that (Carvalho) saved the life of the child and potentially future abuse of his sister."