Sickening new details have emerged after a waitress saved an 11-year-old boy from abuse with a secret handwritten sign
Flaviane Carvalho was serving the family of the accused at her restaurant Mrs Potato in Orange County, Orlando, Florida when she noticed parents Timothy Lee Wilson and Kristen Swann treating one son differently.
The quick-thinking waitress also noticed bruises on the boy with the family of four, claiming he appeared to be "secluded" from the rest of the family.
He was also the only one not eating, prompting to ask the adults why no food had been ordered for the child, who told her the boy would eat at home later.
Now horrific new details of the parents' abuse have emerged, including how the boy was kept away from his stepfather, mother and sibling in a hotel room used for storage, with duct tape covering the peephole.
He was also regularly deprived of food and drink for days at a time, "tortured, maliciously punished" and subjected to military-style exercises, according to the state attorney's office.
They also said he was once hung upside down from a door by his neck and feet, and at one point, handcuffed to a dolly cart on Christmas Day, according to official records.
Heroic waitress Flaviane said: "I could see he had a big scratch between his eyebrows.
"Couple of minutes later, I saw a bruise on the side of his eye. So I felt there was something really wrong."
Refusing to ignore the signs of abuse, Flaviane quickly flashed him a handwritten sign reading: "Do you need help?" before the boy gently nodded and she immediately called 911.
Flaviane told NBC "I was used like a tool from God to help him.
"We need to pay attention for the ones that are in need, and step forward to do something to change the situation."
Police later learned that the boy’s stepfather, Wilson, had tortured the child, punishing him with military-style exercises, hanging him upside down, isolating and starving him for days.
Officers recovered multiple items used as weapons to punish the minor - including a bent metal pole, a wooden broom, a dolly cart, handcuffs, and ratchet straps.
On Monday, Wilson was found guilty of two counts of false imprisonment of a child under 13, three counts of aggravated child abuse with a weapon, four counts of aggravated child abuse, and one count of child neglect.
He will be sentenced on August 19.
The boy’s mother and Wilson’s wife, Kristen Swann, also reportedly admitted to police knowing about the abuse and failing to secure medical care for him. She was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect.
