Florida women charged with child abuse

KISSIMMEE, Fla., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Police in central Florida arrested two women after a 7-year-old boy in their care was found wandering, injured and underweight.

Osceola County Sheriff Joey Dobson said the boy owed his life to three resort employees in Kissimmee who spotted the boy wandering in a parking lot and became suspicious.

The child was about 15 pounds underweight at 37 pounds and had visible injuries, WKMG-TV, Orlando, reported Wednesday.

Investigators said they suspect the two women drugged the boy and left him in a car while they shopped a time-share unit at the complex. The child said in the past he had been kicked in the stomach, tied to a wall and wasn't allowed food, police said.

Suzette Stevenson, 45, and Jamie Lynn Martin, 26, are charged with aggravated child abuse and were being held in separate jails in lieu of bond.

The boy is in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families, whose spokesman Don Winstead praised the resort employees.

"We believe the actions of these three individuals saved this child's life," Winstead said. "I applaud them for recognizing the signs of physical abuse and immediately notifying law enforcement."