Child Abuse

TAVARES, Fla.—The man accused of savagely abusing both his girlfriend’s sons was denied bond Tuesday by Lake Circuit Judge Brian Welke.

Andre Walker, 36, is accused of abusing the 10-year-old son of his girlfriend, Kimberley Mills, 37, leaving him in critical condition. Tavares police say Mills, “was methodical in what her children wore and what they said to others to ensure that absolutely no one would learn of what she was doing to her children behind closed doors.”

“Our department has been working closely with the State Attorney’s Office on this case since day one. We prepared for today and the State Attorney’s Office did a phenomenal job presenting their evidence as to why Andre Walker should remain in the Lake County Jail on no bond. We are pleased with the judge’s decision today,” TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said.

The boy has been in critical condition since Feb. 22 when Mills and Walker brought him to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares in cardiac arrest. Throughout its investigation, Tavares Police Department uncovered the boy’s younger brother, 9, also was abused. Neither boy has been named publicly.

Mills and Walker fled the hospital last month when they found out law enforcement had been contacted. Mills soon returned with her younger son, and was arrested but Walker remained on the run until he turned himself in Feb. 24 and the couple has been held on no bond since their arrests. Walker, who has retained Orlando attorney Bryanna Bynum of Smith & Eulo Law Firm, filed a motion to set bond the day after he turned himself in, and on Tuesday, Welke denied that request, calling the crimes “egregious.”

Bynum also entered a plea of not guilty on Walker’s behalf, waived his arraignment and pretrial conference and requested discovery and his charging document.  Mills is represented by Roxane Davis, a public defender appointed to the case, and has also pleaded not guilty.

More charges were added to the couple late last week and even more charges are possible, Sullivan said. “We ask that you keep the boys and their family in your thoughts and prayers.”

TAVARES, Fla.—A mom and her boyfriend are each facing more charges as one boy they are accused of abusing continues to fight for his life.

Kimberley Mills, 37, has been in the Lake County Jail since early Sunday morning after bringing her 10-year-old son to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares Saturday night while the child was in cardiac arrest, and covered in burns and bruises. Her boyfriend, Andre Walker, 36, accompanied Mills to the hospital but they soon disappeared when they found out hospital staff called law enforcement. Mills returned to the hospital with the boy’s brother, and Walker’s whereabouts were unknown until he turned himself in at LCJ late Monday morning.

Mills was originally arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse while Walker was arrested for accessory after the fact – aggravated child abuse. Police said earlier this week they did not believe the younger boy was victimized by his mom and her boyfriend, but as detectives conducted interviews and discovered evidence over the past six days, their investigation revealed both boys are victims of abuse. More charges were added to the pair Friday morning. Mills is now charged with an additional count of aggravated child abuse, two counts of child neglect, two counts of accessory to aggravated child abuse and one count of tampering with evidence.

Walker is facing two counts of aggravated child abuse, two counts of accessory to aggravated child abuse and one count of tampering with evidence.  Police believe he’s been Mills’ boyfriend for just a few months, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. Sullivan, a detective, has been working on the case since Saturday, in addition to her PIO duties.

“Both Kimberley Mills and Andre Walker participated in torturing and abusing these two children. We are working closely with the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that these two boys get the justice that they deserve,” Sullivan said Friday.

The community has questioned how the children’s abuse went unnoticed, and Sullivan answered some of those questions Friday.

“Kimberley Mills was methodical in what her children wore and what they said to others to ensure that absolutely no one would learn of what she was doing to her children behind closed doors. That being said, all fingers should be pointed in one direction – at Kimberley Mills and Andre Walker who participated together in hurting these children.”

An arrest affidavit with more details obtained by Inside Lake earlier this week revealed the boy was in cardiac arrest when his mother brought him to the hospital, and he sustained injuries consistent with sexual abuse. Inside Lake asked Sullivan why the pair isn’t facing sexual battery charges.

“Our victim is still in critical condition and has not been able to disclose any details regarding sexual abuse. Also, because of his condition, certain physical examinations have not been performed,” Sullivan said. “We cannot definitively say it occurred at this time, but more charges could be added later.”

The younger boy has not disclosed any sexual abuse, she said.

The 10-year-old boy remains in critical condition and his younger brother is with their father. TPD has set up a fundraiser for the family through its Tavares Police Charity, to donate online, click here. TPD is also accepting gift cards on behalf on the family, you can drop them off at the Tavares Public Safety Building, 911 Gateway Drive, Tavares, FL 32778.

TAVARES, Fla.—The man wanted in connection with a severe child abuse case has turned himself in, sources told Inside Lake Monday.

Andre Dwayne Walker, 36, turned himself in at the Lake County Jail Monday afternoon. Walker is facing a charge of accessory after the fact – aggravated child abuse after a 10-year-old boy was brought to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares Saturday night by Walker and the boy’s mother with severe injuries consistent with child abuse, Tavares Police Department said. The boy’s mother, Kimberley Mills, 37, was arrested for aggravated child abuse and is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.

The boy remains in critical condition at an Orlando hospital.

Previous story: Tavares boy clinging to life, mom arrested for abuse, man wanted for accessory after the fact – Inside Lake

TAVARES, Fla.—A young boy is clinging to life in an Orlando hospital with signs of severe abuse, his mother is being held in jail on no bond, and police are searching for a man who disappeared from the hospital while the boy was being treated Saturday night, Tavares Police Department said Sunday.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., Kimberley Leonie Mills, 37, and man later identified as Andre Dwayne Walker, 36, arrived at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares with a 10-year-old boy who was suffering from a critical health event, and had numerous burns and bruising in various stages of healing, in addition to other signs of abuse, according to Mills’ arrest affidavit.

When Mills, a registered nurse, realized law enforcement had been contacted, she left the hospital with Walker and the boy was left unattended with hospital staff. Mills soon returned with another child but without Walker. Road patrol officers, who arrived on scene around 10 p.m., advised her of her rights, and she refused to tell them how the boy “sustained such severe injuries,” the affidavit states, and she later refused to speak with a detective.

A TPD detective spoke with a nurse who said Walker came into the emergency room and said, “We need help, hurry up,” and as the nurse and another employee exited the ER, they saw Mills performing CPR on the boy. The nurse took over care and immediately noticed bruising and she asked Mills what happened to the child; Mills’ response is redacted from the affidavit.

The nurse rushed the boy into the ER and staff took over to begin life-saving measures, working on him for more than 30 minutes to stabilize him. After he was stabilized, the boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando, where he is undergoing lifesaving surgeries and remains in critical condition.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) responded to the hospital and interviewed Mills privately; some details of that interview are redacted from the arrest affidavit, but she did identify Walker as the man who was with her when they arrived at the hospital. Following the interview Mills was arrested for aggravated domestic child abuse and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she is being held on no bond. The other child with Mills had with her when she returned to the hospital, was turned over to DCF’s custody. Tavares Police Department executed a search warrant on Mills’ home where they obtained information confirming Walker’s identity and “pertinent pieces of evidence,” TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said in a press release. Walker’s relationship to the boy has not been released.

Walker, of Palm Bay, is wanted for accessory after the fact- aggravated child abuse, and more charges may be forthcoming, Sullivan told Inside Lake. He is described as a black male, 5 feet,6 inches tall, with a slender build. He has a dark moustache and a gray beard. He may be driving a silver 2022 Toyota Tacoma SR5, license plate, EQUU98. Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 352-343-2101 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

This is the second child to suffer severe abuse in Lake County in less than a year. In June 2024, Inside Lake first reported 9-year-old Jamaria Sessions was found dead in her Montverde home. Her father, Lojuan Sessions, and his girlfriend, Tyshael Martin, were later arrested and are each facing charges in her death and are awaiting trial.