A Florida man has been found guilty of child abuse after being busted — thanks to a quick-thinking waitress and a secret note.
Flaviane Carvalho was working as a waitress at an Orlando restaurant on New Year’s Day last year when 36-year-old Timothy Lee Wilson, walked into the eatery with his family.
While serving the family’s table, Carvalho observed that no food had been ordered for the young boy. The observant waitress then noticed that the boy had several scratches and bruises on his face and arms, according to WESH 2’s report.
Concerned, the heroic restaurant worker secretly wrote a note that read “Do you need help?” and flashed it to the then-11-year-old, who was standing behind his unwitting parents.
The child nodded yes and Carvalho promptly called 911.
“I’m super concerned and I don’t know what to do, can you give me some advice?” Carvalho asked the dispatcher, according to WFLA.
“The boy is with bruises and he’s not eating.”
An investigation eventually revealed that the boy had been subjected to horrific torture and abuse at the hands of Wilson, his stepfather — including being hung upside down from a door on Christmas Day and handcuffed to a dolly.
Law enforcement officials thanked Carvalho for her heroics saying she may have saved the young victim’s life.
“We probably would’ve been talking about a potential homicide investigation if she [Carvalho] had not intervened when she did,” Orlando Chief of Police Orlando Rolón said last year.
Carvalho’s swift thinking trended online at the time and a GoFundMe page created by her employer raised almost $50,000. Over the weekend, Carvalho posted an update on the fundraising page to celebrate the guilty verdict.
“Justice served!” she wrote, adding that the boy is now being cared for in a loving home. “He is happy and healthy.”
On Monday, prosecutors announced that a jury had found Wilson guilty of a range of charges, including four counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of child neglect. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
The boy’s mother, Kristin Swann, admitted to being aware of the abuse and failing to act. She has also been arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect, according to WESH.
The victim and his then-4-year-old sister — who was not abused — were removed from their custody.
