Child’s Window Note Leads Police to Children in Kissimmee Home

Kissimmee police responded to a domestic disturbance at the Florida Ridge Condos on October 26 after relatives raised concerns about children inside the home. A woman in the residence had told her sister that Andre Janard Smithson was beating her, according to an arrest affidavit described in coverage of the case.

Officers used a drone to locate three children hiding in a guest room. One held a handwritten note reading “Help us” against the window. Police later praised the child’s actions in a social media post.

Smithson, 33, and the woman were in the main bedroom with their five-month-old daughter, the account said. During a phone conversation with officers, Smithson refused repeated requests to let the woman and children leave. The children got out while he was distracted by police outside.

A SWAT team and crisis negotiators assisted at the scene. Smithson eventually surrendered peacefully and was arrested on a false-imprisonment charge and an outstanding warrant. Police did not disclose details of the warrant. Smithson was said to have told police that he hoped to be with his baby daughter before entering jail.