Waitress saves tortured 11-year-old boy by making him make a secret signal for help

An eagle-eyed waitress has been hailed as a hero when she quietly saved a boy who was being tortured by his parents after he noticed strange behavior while the family was dining out.

On New Year’s Day, Orlando waitress Flaviane Carvalho was working at Mrs Potato Head when she noticed that the 11-year-old’s parents were denying her food and forbidding her to eat.

When she asked if something was wrong with the food, the stepfather, Timothy Wilson, told her that the boy was going to have dinner at home later.

It was then that he also noticed bruises on the boy’s face and arms.

“I could see that he had a big scratch between his eyebrows,” Carvalho said.

“A couple of minutes later, I saw a bruise on the side of his eye. Then I felt like something was really wrong.”

Alarmed by what she saw, she managed to secretly signal to help the boy.

On a sheet of paper, she wrote “Need help? Okay” and held it up for the boy to read, while standing behind his mother Kristen Swann and stepfather so they wouldn’t see her.

After receiving a signal from the boy that he needed help, he called emergency services who quickly showed up at the restaurant.

The waitress’s instincts were right. His call uncovered a variety of horrible torture methods used against the boy.

Police interviewed the boy and revealed that he had been tied up and starved to death.

An Orlando police spokesman explained: “He said ratchet straps were tied around his ankles and neck, and he was hung upside down from a door.

“He said they beat him with a wooden broom, handcuffed him and tied him to a large dolly.

“He also said that he couldn’t eat regularly as punishment.”

Wilson was later charged with child abuse. Swann was charged with neglect for allegations that she knew about Wilson’s abuse, but never tried to stop it or get medical care for her son.

Orlando police praised waitress Carvalho for saving the boy from his alleged abusers.

A spokesperson told Fox35: “By saying something when she saw something, Ms. Carvalho showed courage and care for a child she had never met before, and we are proud that someone like Ms. Carvalho lives and works in our community.” .

Mrs Potato Head’s owner praised her employee for her quick thinking and saving the child’s life.

“We are very proud. This has to encourage people to say something if they see something.”