Waitress Rescues Child from Abusive Parents!!

 

     FLAVAINE CARVALHO SAVES CHILD FROM ABUSE

 It was New Years Day 2021 and Flavaine Carvalho, a waitress at Mrs. Potato restaurant in Orlando, Florida was busy taking orders. A family of four settled into their place at a nearby table and the adult male signaled that they were ready to place their order.

Flavaine took their order and walked away toward the kitchen.  Sometime after she served the family she noticed that no food was placed before the boy (who she figured was about 11 years old.) She watched for a while and then noticed that the child had a bruise on the side of his face. As she looked more closely she saw more bruises on his face and on his arms. She also realized that he was very skinny. He looked incredibly sad.

While some people might have ignored what they saw and decided to “mind their own business” something stirred in Flavaine’s heart. She felt that something was just not right. She graciously enquired of the family if everything was going well and mentioned that she noticed that the boy was not eating.

“He will eat at home later,” the man answered gruffly.

Flavaine was still not satisfied with the answer. An idea came into her mind. She quickly wrote a note and stood behind the adults at the table in a spot where they could not see her. She caught the attention of the boy. The note asked, “Do you need help?” Immediately the child nodded. Yes, he needed help.

That was all Flavaine needed to see. Her hunch was correct. Something was not right with the child.

Without wasting a moment, she made a call to 911.” I am super concerned, and I don’t know what to do, can you give me some advice? The boy is with bruises and he’s not eating.” she told the dispatcher.

The authorities arrived quickly. They interviewed the boy and he told them the horror story of how he had been abused by his stepfather.

Not only was he deprived of food as punishment on a regular basis, but he was also “hit with a wooden broom, had ratchet straps tied around his ankles and neck, hung upside down from a door, handcuffed and tied to a large moving dolly.”

Police said at a press conference that he was some 20 lbs. underweight.

An article by Steve Helling in People on January 15, 2021, said the stepfather of the boy has been charged with three counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect. His mother has also “admitted to knowing about the abuse” and has been charged with child neglect and failing to seek medical care for the boy.

The report added that the boy and another four-year old child have been removed from the home. They are in custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The Orlando Police Department Special Victims Unit has congratulated and praised Ms. Carvalho for her quick thinking and the action she took to help the child.

“The child has gone through torture” Detective Lawler said at a news conference held on January 14, 2021. “That little boy would probably not be with us much longer” if she (Ms. Carvalho) had not said something when she saw it.

#Flavaine #childabuse #caring #police

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