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Kid places 'help us' sign in window after Florida police respond to domestic disturbance call
Police said a drone found children hiding inside the home, and Andre Janard Smithson surrendered peacefully after officers removed them safely.
On October 26, Kissimmee Police arrested Andre Janard Smithson after a child inside a Florida home displayed a handwritten note reading "HELP US" in a window during an alleged domestic disturbance.
Family members alerted the Kissimmee Police after one of the children texted his grandmother, prompting officers to discover three children hiding in a guest bedroom and a 5-month-old in the master bedroom.
After receiving no answer at the door, police utilized a drone to locate the children and established telephone contact to coordinate their safe exit from the residence.
Authorities successfully distracted Smithson, allowing the children to escape safely; the 33-year-old then "eventually surrendered peacefully" to officers on charges of false imprisonment and an outstanding active warrant.
The Kissimmee Police praised "excellent teamwork" of responding units in resolving the situation, while Smithson remained in jail as of Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
Alerted for possible violence at the home of a 33-year-old man, the police officers in Kissimmee, Florida, found no children on their arrival. It's thanks to a drone and a visible distress message since...