An observant manager at an Orlando restaurant helped rescue a boy who police say was the victim of severe child abuse.
Orlando police said Flavaine Carvalho was working on New Year’s Day at Mrs. Potato restaurant on South Kirkman Road when a family of four sat down at a table.
According to police, the man did not allow the 11-year-old boy to order any food.
When Carvalho asked if something was wrong, she says that his stepfather told her the boy was going to eat dinner at home later.
That's when Carvalho says she noticed bruises on the boy's face and arms.
"I could see he had a big scratch between his eyebrows," Carvalho said in a press conference, "Couple of minutes later, I saw a bruise on the side of his eye. So I felt there was something really wrong."
Carvalho wrote a large note saying "Do you need help?" Standing behind the parents where they couldn't see, she caught the eye of the boy and showed him the note. He nodded, so Carvalho called police.
Police said the boy told them 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.
Police took the boy to a hospital where doctors found bruises on his face, earlobes and arms.
The child’s mother, Kristen Swann, admitted to knowing about the abuse and failing to seek medical care for the boy. She was arrested on Jan. 6 and charged with two counts of child neglect.
