Florida — A Florida boy desperately wanted to get away from his father’s girlfriend, so he used a sticky note to seek assistance. On March 4, 2025, the 9-year-old boy allegedly wrote the phrase “please help us” on a pink sticky note.
Katrina Carrillo, 25, was arrested on April 23 after a more than a month-long investigation. The child reported to police that Carrillo beat him, but the woman denied the allegations. She now faces a felony child abuse charge.
According to Law and Crime, the boy wrote “please help us” on a sticky note. It’s unclear where he left the note, but investigators took the allegations seriously.
The Florida Department of Children and Families stepped in, taking the boy and his brother away from Carrillo. During an interview with police, the boy made shocking allegations.
According to a police report obtained by WPLG, the 9-year-old told investigators that Carrillo abused him, and that during one beating, he felt like he “was not breathing.” The woman allegedly placed a blanket and pillow over his face.
According to the news outlet, Carrillo denied the allegations during her meeting with police. According to police, the woman claimed, “She disciplines her children and not her boyfriend’s.”
Carrillo was ultimately arrested and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. A judge set Carrillo’s bond at $5,000 and ordered her to stay away from the boy. According to online records, she is no longer under police custody.
The news of Carrillo’s arrest has elicited mixed reactions online.
“When I was a kid, I would write “help” on the foggy car window while my mother drove. She wasn’t abusing me; I was only a child. Children are naturally creative and imaginative, and they can be quite dramatic at times.
For example, I bet many of you threatened to flee when you were upset with your parents,” one commenter wrote on WPLG’s story. “I can’t believe the Miami-Dade County court system is now prosecuting individuals based on alleged abuse statements made by 4- and 9-year-old children.
There are children who are being abused, but parents can be arrested over a post-it note? I can see that the criminal justice system is only interested in court costs and bond money.
Another person disagreed, saying, “Horrible person! Lock her up! People who make these comments are delusional.”
