Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A woman has been arrested and charged with the alleged mistreatment of her boyfriend’s children, amidst allegations that she attempted to smother them using pillows.
Katrina Carrillo, a resident of Miami, Florida, is accused of assaulting a nine-year-old boy by pinning him down and beating him, followed by an attempt to suffocate him with a blanket and a pillow.
The 25-year-old was apprehended after the boy, in a desperate act, wrote a plea for help on a pink Post-it note. This note was discovered in March and subsequently turned over to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
The department then contacted law enforcement, leading to Carrillo’s arrest by police at the Miami Police Department headquarters on Wednesday afternoon (April 23). She was taken into custody around 4.30pm Eastern Time, although she denies all allegations.
That evening, Carrillo faced charges of child abuse, and a bond was set at $5,000. She was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, located near Miami International Airport.
The pivotal Post-it note, which led to Carrillo’s arrest, contained the words: “Pleas help us.”
Details about who discovered the note and where it was left remain unclear, but the boy and his brother have since been removed from Carrillo’s care.
In a police interview, the nine-year-old recounted how he was pinned down, beaten, and nearly smothered. He described to a forensic interviewer feeling like he was ‘not breathing’ during the harrowing incident.
According to a police report accessed by Local 10, it was noted that Carrillo “disciplines her children and not her boyfriend’s.”
After posting bail for $5,000 that same evening, Carrillo was released from custody.
During a court hearing the next day, she was instructed to keep away from her boyfriend’s children and will be required to return to court to address the charges against her.
The date for her next court appearance has not yet been disclosed.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by these issues or need confidential support regarding child welfare, you can reach the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). The hotline is available 24/7 and serves callers from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.