Manager who saved boy from 'abusive' parents says he's the hero

EXCLUSIVE: ‘They are both monsters.’ Vigilant Florida restaurant manager who passed note to boy, 11, to save him from ‘abusive’ parents calls him ‘the hero,’ as lead detective reveals she cried when she saw his injuries

Flaviane Carvalho passed a note to an 11-year-old boy who was out to eat with his family in Orlando, Florida on New Year’s Day
When the youngster silently signaled that he was in danger she calmly called 911
She pleaded with the operator, saying: ‘I’m super concerned and I don’t know what to do. They are about to leave in 10 to 15 minutes’
His mother Kristen Swann and stepdad Timothy Wilson II were arrested, with Wilson facing charges of aggravated child abuse and Swann charges of neglect
Mom-of-two Flaviane, 45, has been widely praised for stepping in but she told DailyMail.com that she was doing what any caring mother would do
She said: ‘The little boy was so brave. He not only saved himself, he saved his little sister by standing up to this man. I am so proud of him. He is the hero’
Both the boy and his four-year-old sister, Wilson’s biological daughter, have been taken into care
There was no evidence of abuse on the younger sister, leading police to suspect that Wilson specifically picked on the boy because he wasn’t his biological child
Detective Erin Lawler said: ‘He was tortured, abuse doesn’t begin to scratch the surface’

The quick-thinking Florida restaurant manager who saved a little boy from horrifying child abuse by flashing him a secret note has modestly told DailyMail.com: ‘I did what I had to do – he is the hero.’

Flaviane Carvalho held up a handwritten sign asking the 11-year-old ‘are you ok?’ after spotting scratches and bruises on his face as he sat with his parents and little sister.

When the youngster silently signaled that he was in danger she calmly called cops who took one look at his injuries and busted cruel mom Kristen Swann and ‘monster’ stepdad Timothy Wilson II.

Wilson, 34, is charged with multiple counts of child abuse after the boy told detectives how the 360 pound bully handcuffed him to furniture, hung him upside down and battered him with fists, a broom and a back scratcher.

Swann, 31, was charged with neglect for failing to seek help for her son, who was emaciated and 20 pounds underweight. Both the boy and his four-year-old sister, Wilson’s biological daughter, have been taken into care.

Mom-of-two Flaviane, 45, has been widely praised for stepping in but she told DailyMail.com that she was doing what any caring mother would do.

‘The little boy was so brave. He not only saved himself, he saved his little sister by standing up to this man,’ she said. ‘I am so proud of him. He is the hero.’

Kristen Swann and ‘monster’ Timothy Wilson II were arrested in Orlando, Florida on New Year’s Day over claims of child abuse and neglect. Wilson, 34, is charged with multiple counts of child abuse. Swann, 31, was charged with neglect for failing to seek help for her son, who was emaciated and 20 pounds underweight

The youngster silently signaled that he was in danger to a restaurant manager, who calmly called cops who took one look at his injuries and busted the parents. Both the boy and his four-year-old sister, Wilson’s biological daughter, have been taken into care

Mom-of-two Flaviane, 45, told DailyMailTV that she was doing what any caring mother would do. ‘The little boy was so brave. He not only saved himself, he saved his little sister by standing up to this man,’ she said. ‘I am so proud of him. He is the hero’

Flaviane sensed something was wrong when the vile couple brought their two kids into Mrs Potato Restaurant in Orlando, just before closing on New Year’s Day.

Wilson began tucking into the eatery’s signature Brazilian dishes, but neither he nor Swann ordered anything for the boy, who peeked out nervously from behind a face mask and hoodie.

‘They looked like a regular family but there were four people and I noticed they were missing a meal,’ said Flaviane, who has worked for the past year and a half at Mrs Potato, which has been featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

‘The man said it was OK, the boy would have dinner at home. But I knew something was wrong, it’s not normal for a family to do that.

‘When I approached the table I could see wounds on the boy’s face. He had a big scratch and bruises on the side of his eyes.

‘He looked so sad. I knew I had to do something. Something bad was happening.’

Thinking on her feet, Flaviane grabbed a pen and wrote the boy a note saying ‘Are you OK?, holding it just out of the parents’ line of sight while hoping former serviceman Wilson wouldn’t suddenly turn around.

The boy nodded but when he kept looking back at Flaviane, who has two daughters, Clara, 21 and Eduarda, 18, she decided to try again, flashing a second note, reading: ‘Do you need help?’

This time the boy briefly crossed his arms, as if he was cradling himself – a gesture she instantly recognized as a plea for assistance.

Flaviane sensed something was wrong when the vile couple brought their two kids into Mrs Potato Restaurant in Orlando, just before closing on New Year’s Day.

The boy’s stepfather Timothy Wilson II (left), 34, was first arrested on one count of third-degree child abuse. The boy’s mother Kristen Swann (right), 31, was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect

Officers from the Orlando Police Department arrived within minutes to find the family-of-four still sitting at their table and the boy nursing visible wounds to the right side of his face and the bridge of his nose

Flaviane went to the back of the restaurant and dialed 911, begging the police to get there quickly.

‘I’m super concerned and I don’t know what to do,’ she pleaded with the operator. ‘They are about to leave in 10 to 15 minutes.’

The child first told officers he had fallen from a bed at the nearby motel where the couple from Decatur, Alabama had been living for much of the past year.

When they spotted more bruising on his arms, he claimed he had been ‘wrestling’ his stepdad before finally plucking up enough courage to tell them about the alleged abuse.

‘[The boy] stated Wilson has recently been beating him with a wooden broom, back scratcher and closed fists,’ says a police report obtained by DailyMail.com

‘[The boy] stated he beats him when he does something wrong … Timothy Wilson also makes him do ‘exercises’ such as planks for punishments as well.

‘It should be noted [he] was in pain just by simply rolling up his jacket sleeves to show his injury … [he] complained of chest pain and was hunched over while on scene.’

In further interviews the young victim said his ‘punishments’ ranged from being hung upside down from a door frame by his ankles to being strapped to a dolly.

Detective Erin Lawler, who led the abuse inquiry, told DailyMail sh,come broke down when she saw the extent of the boy’s injuries. He was denied food unless he could plank for 30 minutes at a time, it’s been alleged

The incident took place at the Mrs Potato Restaurant on Orlando, Florida, on January 1

As a result, the victim was so skinny and small for his age – weighing a mere 60 pounds – that Flaviane initially estimated he was eight years old.

‘I would like to give the boy a big hug, hold him tight and tell him that I’m so proud of him. He was so brave,’ she told DailyMail.com

‘She is as bad as the man, they are both monsters,’ said Flaviane, who came to the US from Brazil 13 years ago and lives in Orlando\

‘It was an act of God that he was sitting in the only seat in the restaurant where I could show him the note without his parents seeing.’

There was no evidence of abuse on the younger sister, leading police to suspect that Wilson specifically picked on the boy because he wasn’t his biological child.

Detective Erin Lawler, who led the abuse inquiry, told DailyMail,com she broke down when she saw the extent of the boy’s injuries.

‘Honestly when I first saw the pictures, before I even saw the injuries in person, they brought me to tears,’ she said. ‘He was tortured, abuse doesn’t begin to scratch the surface.

‘As a law enforcement officer I see a lot of heinous things that people do to one another. But it just shocks your soul to see this being done to a child. It’s unfathomable how the mother could have let it happen.’

Swann got together with Wilson, a divorcee who previously served in the US Navy, around six years ago.

Her Twitter handle reads: ‘Im a fun loving bama fan. i love my fiance tim & my son & daughter all my family. which includes my animals of course & i love reading watching & movies.’

‘She is as bad as the man, they are both monsters,’ said Flaviane, who came to the US from Brazil 13 years ago and lives in Orlando with her husband Rodrigo, 49, a construction company boss.

‘I just feel like I did what I was supposed to do. I just did what my heart screamed at me to do.’

Wilson faces multiple charges of aggravated child abuse, child abuse and neglect, while Swann faces two counts of neglect.

The couple are both in the Orange County Jail and their kids are in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

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