Kids write ‘help us’ in window during Kissimmee domestic dispute, police say
Two words. Written by hand. Pressed against a window.
“HELP US.”
It was a simple message carrying an urgent plea from a child hiding inside a Kissimmee home during a domestic disturbance.
And according to the Kissimmee Police Department, it was a message officers spotted from the sky.
Police shared a photograph of the handwritten sign on social media Tuesday, Nov. 10, revealing a dramatic moment from an October incident that brought officers, a police drone, a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to a residential community in Osceola County.
The encounter ended with children escaping safely and a man surrendering to police.
But the photograph is now raising questions about what happened inside the home before the children were able to get out.
A family’s fears lead police to a Kissimmee home
The incident unfolded Oct. 26, when Kissimmee police officers responded to a domestic disturbance involving Andre Janard Smithson.
According to the department, family members contacted authorities because children were inside the residence and they feared for their safety.
Officers arrived and began assessing the situation, eventually deploying a police drone to help locate the children.
From above, police spotted the children hiding inside a room.
Then came the discovery captured in the photograph.
One of the children was holding a handwritten message against a window.
In large letters, the paper read: “HELP US.”
Police have not explained whether the child knew the drone was outside the window or whether the message was deliberately displayed for officers monitoring its camera.
The department also has not publicly disclosed the children’s ages, their relationship to Smithson or what specifically occurred inside the home before the sign appeared.
Children escape as police work to end confrontation
According to Kissimmee police, the children managed to escape the residence while Smithson was distracted.
The department has not detailed what caused that distraction, whether officers were communicating directly with the children or how long they had been hiding.
With the children out of the home, officers continued working to resolve the situation.
Kissimmee police said its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team and Crisis Negotiation Team assisted in the response.
Smithson eventually surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody.
Police said he was arrested on a false imprisonment charge and an outstanding active warrant. The department has not publicly specified what the warrant involved.
Authorities credited the coordinated efforts of responding officers and specialized units for bringing the confrontation to a peaceful conclusion.
Nearby residents react to children’s desperate message
News 6 visited the area Tuesday, where the police response and the photograph have left some nearby residents unsettled.
Jonathan Chapman, who lives in a nearby condominium community, said he remembered noticing a significant police presence around the time of the incident.
“I didn’t step outside or anything, I just looked through the balcony and saw the cops,” Chapman said.
He said he had heard about a disturbance but did not realize children had reportedly been hiding inside the home or that one had displayed a handwritten plea for help.
After learning more about the incident, Chapman said his concern was with the children.
“It’s heartbreaking for the kids,” he said.
William Cosme, who lives near Hunter’s Creek and frequently travels through the area, described the surrounding neighborhoods as generally peaceful.
“It seems like a pretty good area to me. I’ve never seen anything out of the ordinary there,” Cosme said.
Learning that a response involving police drones and SWAT had unfolded nearby came as a surprise.
“It’s a little bit unsettling,” Cosme said.
As a father, he said the photograph was particularly troubling, adding that he would want to do everything possible to protect children in a similar situation.
Neither man claimed to have witnessed what happened inside the residence.
Kissimmee police drone program plays role in response
The incident also highlights a relatively recent addition to the Kissimmee Police Department’s emergency response capabilities.
In April, News 6 reported that Kissimmee police had added six Skydio drones to its fleet, making aerial technology available to patrol officers across shifts.
The drones were introduced as a way to provide officers with an overhead perspective during emergencies, searches and potentially dangerous encounters.
Sgt. Charles Popp told News 6 at the time that patrol officers could deploy the aircraft quickly rather than waiting for a helicopter.
The department also said officers on the ground could view live drone images directly on their phones, allowing multiple responders to assess developing situations.
KPD said flights are recorded and footage is placed into evidence.
The October incident provides an example of how officers are using the technology during an active police response.
In this case, the drone allowed police to locate children hiding inside a home and observe a handwritten request for help.
However, police have not yet explained precisely how that discovery influenced the children’s escape or the subsequent negotiations with Smithson.
Questions remain about what happened inside the home
Although the October confrontation ended peacefully, several significant details remain unanswered.
Police have not publicly explained what prompted the domestic dispute, what circumstances led to the false imprisonment charge or how long the children remained inside before escaping.
The department also has not specified whether weapons were involved or whether anyone suffered injuries.
News 6 is seeking additional information about the initial emergency call, the drone operation and the moments leading up to the children’s escape.
The department’s photograph has brought new attention to an incident that occurred more than two weeks earlier.
For the children inside the home, the message was only two words long.
For the officers watching from above, it revealed an urgent call for help.
And by the time the confrontation ended, the children had made it out safely, and the suspect was in police custody.