ORLANDO, Fla. — As server Flavaine Carvalho waited on a family of four, she saw signs that something possibly wasn't quite right with the boy in the group.
And she decided to ask a question that police said potentially saved his life.
According to a CBS News report, she wrote a note that said, "Do you need help? OK" and held it up so the boy could see it but his parents couldn't. He nodded no.
"A couple of minutes later, I wrote another sign, asking him if he needs help. And this is when he nodded, 'yes,'" Carvalho told a news conference Thursday.
An Orlando, Fla., server used this sign to secretly communicate with a boy. Police are crediting her with saving him from his abusive parents.
On New Year's Day, Timothy Wilson II, Kristen Swann, the 11-year-old boy and another family member went to Mrs. Potato Restaurant in Orlando for a meal, an Orlando police release read. Carvalho, their server, thought that something was off when the boy didn't order anything.
Carvalho also thought that the child had bruises on his face and arms, and she was determined to figure out what was going on. So she wrote the note asking if he needed help, standing out of sight of the adults and waiting for a moment to give him the message.
After the boy eventually was able to signal "yes," Carvalho immediately called police to the restaurant.
When officers arrived, they took the boy aside and noticed bruising on the right side of his face and a healing wound on the bridge of his nose, according to an arrest report. The boy said the bruises came from falling off his bed while he was sleeping and hit a table.
Then the officer found more bruises on his right arm starting from his shoulder all the way down to his wrist. The boy said these marks came from wrestling with his dad, Wilson, the report read.
The boy eventually told the officer ratchet straps were tied around his ankles and neck, and he was hung upside down from a door. He also said he was hit with a wooden broom and handcuffed and tied to a large moving dolly, police said. He didn't get to eat on a regular basis as punishment.
Swann told officers she knew that Wilson was abusing their son yet did not take him to a doctor.
Wilson and Swann were arrested on Jan. 6. Wilson was charged with multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect, while Swann was charged with two counts of child neglect.
"By saying something when she saw something, Ms. Carvalho displayed courage and care for a child she had never even met before, and we're proud someone like Ms. Carvalho lives and works in our community," police said.
Today’s top pics
Top photos of the day as selected by the Associated Press.
Rescuers assist a survivor pulled out from the ruin of a government building collapsed during an earthquake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island just after midnight Friday, toppling homes and buildings, triggering landslides and killing a number of people. (AP Photo/Azhari Surahman)
A woman waits at a bus stop in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The traffic situation is difficult after persistent snowfalls in eastern Switzerland. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
A bus in New York City which careened off a road in the Bronx neighborhood of New York is left dangling from an overpass Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, after a crash late Thursday that left the driver in serious condition, police said. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Motorist ride past the wreckage of a car damaged in an earthquake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island just after midnight, causing landslides and sending people fleeing from their homes in the nighttime darkness. (AP Photo/Sadly Ashari Said)
A medical worker gives a coronavirus vaccine shot to a patient at a vaccination facility in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A medical worker in protector overall escorts a patient in wheelchair from the fever screening department of the Tongji Hospital which was at the frontline of the China's fight against the coronavirus in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The WHO team of international researchers that arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday hopes to find clues to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Children ride a bike past markers placed outside the Santo Nino Parish at Tondo district, Manila, Philippines on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The Manila city government said that the usual festivities are prohibited during the upcoming feast day of Santo Nino or Baby Jesus in Tondo and Pandacan to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. Masses will be held at the church under strict health protocols this weekend. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during an event at The Queen theater, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A bus in New York City which careened off a road in the Bronx neighborhood of New York is left dangling from an overpass Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, after a crash late Thursday that left the driver in serious condition, police said. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Nashville Predators center Luke Kunin (11) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. At left is Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan (46). (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Dorothea Wierer of Italy shoots during the women's 7.5km sprint race at the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A member of the National Guard stands guard behind an American flag and flowers placed on fencing surrounding the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Alexa Knierim, right, and Brandon Frazier perform during the pairs short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A book seller waits for customers in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, January 14, 2021. With piles of ice and snow still covering most of Madrid's streets, the Spanish capital has begun to grapple with the problem. of garbage piled up in the streets and thousands of trees and branches that covered many sidewalks and squares. The city of Madrid estimated on Thursday that the storm Filomena caused damage of 1.4 billion euros. (AP Photo / Bernat Armangue)
Supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine cheer as election officials count the ballots after polls closed in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Ugandans voted in a presidential election tainted by widespread violence that some fear could escalate as security forces try to stop supporters of Wine from monitoring polling stations. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Members of the National Guard walk past the Dome of the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos, top left, goes for a header with Athletic Bilbao's Mikel Balenziaga during the Spanish Super Cup semi final soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga, Spain, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 and will play the final. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
