Last week, heroic waitress Flavaine Carvalho hit headlines after she successfully saved a young boy who later claimed that his parents had allegedly been abusing him.
Per Fox News 35, Carvalho was working her New Year’s Day shift at the Mrs. Potato Restaurant on South Kirkman Road in Orlando, Florida, when she noticed something seriously amiss with one of her tables.
After serving one family their meals, she noticed that the 11-year-old boy – whose identity has not been publically disclosed – was not eating.
A concerned Flavaine then asked the boy\’s stepfather, Timothy Wilson II, if the child needed anything, to which Wilson replied that the boy would eat dinner at home later, Fox News reports.
Upon a closer inspection of the child, Carvalho noticed signs of injuries on his body, such as scratches and bruises.
Concerned for his safety, the quick-thinking waitress secretly handed him a handwritten note, which read: \”Do you need help? Ok.\”
After the boy signaled \”yes\”, Carvalho immediately dialed 911, and Wilson and the boy\’s mother, Kristen Swann, were arrested shortly thereafter.
In a later interview with police investigators, the boy claimed that he had been the victim of both physical and mental abuse, telling authorities that he had regularly been beaten with a wooden broom, starved, hung upside down, and forced to do 30-minute planks.
Per Fox 35, a police spokesperson stated:
\”What this child had gone through, it was torture. Seeing what that 11-year-old had to go through; it shocks your soul.
\”He said ratchet straps were tied around his ankles and neck, and he was hung upside down from a door. He said he was hit with a wooden broom, and handcuffed and tied to a large moving dolly.
\”He also said he didn’t get to eat on a regular basis as punishment.\”
See something, say something may have save this little boys life thanks to an Orlando server #Dovenews #Orlandowaitress #seesomethingsaysomething #childabuse #rescuedchild #doyouneedhelp #FlavaineCarvalhohttps://t.co/ExFOKfK3QX pic.twitter.com/IhXxuKumwC
— 105.5 The Dove (@1055TheDove) January 15, 2021
Speaking to Fox News 35, Flavaine herself stated:
\”I could see he had a big scratch between his eyebrows. A couple of minutes later, I saw a bruise on the side of his eye. So I felt there was something really wrong.\”
Flavaine, who is herself a mother, also added that if she had the chance to see the boy again, she would give him a big hug.
She has since said: \”To me, what I did was something normal, natural so I never thought about that.
\”I\’m glad because now the boy is safe and I hope people use this fact to be couraged [sic] to step up when someone is in need.\”
And as a result of her heroic actions, a GoFundMe was set up to reward Flavaine, which currently stands on $33,000 (as of this writing).
The fundraiser\’s description reads:
\”Kindness is not something that necessarily needs to be rewarded. That being said, any support will always be welcomed and greatly appreciated, especially for someone that works in one of the industries most affected by the pandemic, restaurants.\”
Timothy Wilson was subsequently arrested on one count of third-degree child abuse. He was later arrested again and charged with multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect. Kristen Swann was also arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect.
Orlando waitress became suspicious when little boy wasn’t allowed to order food, then she noticed bruises on his arms. She held up hand written sign behind parents saying ‘Do you need help?’ The boy signaled ‘yes’, so she called police. Both parents arrested for child abuse. pic.twitter.com/yQRr8Z0lCB
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 14, 2021
Fox News adds that both the 11-year-old and four-year-old siblings have been taken into custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
