A Miami woman was arrested on a child abuse charge after police said she admitted striking her 7-year-old son with a belt when she learned he kissed a classmate on the cheek at school, leaving bruises on his face and other marks on his body.
The woman, Kelly Michel, 27, faces a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, Miami police said. A judge set bond at $2,500 and ordered Michel to have no contact with the child, barring direct or indirect communication. The case drew swift attention because it involved a child with autism and because investigators said the boy’s account was recorded through a child protection program and then turned over to police for a criminal investigation.
Police reports described the case as starting with a moment at school that the child said was meant to help another student. Investigators wrote that the boy told interviewers a classmate fell during the school day and he kissed the child on the cheek “in the hopes of him feeling better.” Other students reported the kiss to a teacher, police said, and the teacher then informed the boy’s parents. Officers said the boy later went to an after-school program, and staff members there noticed injuries and notified authorities. A Department of Children and Families investigator connected the child with a case coordinator from the University of Miami Child Protection Team, police said, and the child described what happened after he returned home. Investigators said the alleged beating happened Tuesday, Feb. 24, after the school incident, and that the child’s account was passed along to law enforcement as child welfare workers assessed his safety.
In the arrest paperwork, officers described injuries they said matched the child’s description. A Miami police officer who went to the child’s aftercare program wrote that the boy had a small bruise near his right eye and a larger bruise that ran from the right side of his cheek toward the area behind his ear. The officer also reported thin line marks on the child’s left arm and bruising behind his legs. Police said the discoloration on the side of his face appeared “purple and red.” Investigators wrote that the child said Michel hit him with a brown belt and that he described being struck in the face. Police said the boy became so frightened during an interview that he urinated on himself while explaining what happened. After a child protection coordinator recommended the boy be removed from the home, the responding officer took him to the department’s Special Victims Unit for further investigation, police said. Authorities have not publicly released the child’s name, the school, or medical records, and police have not said what treatment the boy received, if any, beyond the initial interviews and documentation of injuries.
The case moved on two tracks, one through the child welfare system and another through the criminal court process. Police said the Department of Children and Families and the University of Miami Child Protection Team were involved in the early interviews and referral, a process commonly used when children report suspected abuse. Prosecutors will review police reports and supporting records as the case advances in Miami-Dade County court. Michel was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, which police described as a third-degree felony under Florida law. Court summaries in news reports described the charge as alleging the knowing or willful abuse of a child without causing great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement. Police and court officials have not said whether additional charges could be filed after prosecutors review the full file, and investigators have not answered key questions, including how long the injuries took to develop and when school staff first noticed them.
Police said Michel was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. Officers said she was booked shortly after midnight Friday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Investigators wrote that Michel later came to the police station and spoke with officers after being advised of her rights. Police said she admitted using a brown belt to punish her son and told investigators she struck him several times on his arm and buttocks. Officers wrote that Michel said the child was moving and that the belt opened up during the whipping and struck him in the eye. In bond court, a judge ordered Michel to stay away from the child and set bond at $2,500, according to court information described in news reports. Court listings cited in reports showed a future hearing scheduled for late April, while the no-contact order remained in effect.
The allegations also prompted questions about Michel’s work history because reports connected her to organizations that serve women and children. CBS News Miami reported that Michel previously worked for the National Women’s Shelter Network but that the organization said she had not worked there since August 2025. The same report said Michel was employed by Lotus Village in an administrative role without contact with children. “Based on available information, this matter does not involve our clients or workplace,” Lotus Village spokesman Tadd Schwartz said in a statement to CBS News Miami, adding that Michel was placed on administrative leave pending an internal review. Police have not said whether Michel had a lawyer at the time of her arrest. Investigators have not released details about the child’s current placement or whether other children were in Michel’s care, and officials have not said whether any other adult was present during the alleged punishment.
As of Monday, March 2, the charge remained pending, the no-contact order remained in place, and investigators had not released a cause for the injuries beyond the accounts in police reports. The next milestone is the court appearance listed for late April, when judges and attorneys are expected to review the status of the case and any conditions tied to the child’s safety.
Author note: Last updated March 2, 2026.