Witness says she took photo of Camillus mom abusing son

by: Andrew Donovan

CAMILLUS, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — NewsChannel 9 has obtained a photo taken by a woman who claims it captures a moment she witnessed a Camillus woman physically and verbally abusing her son at Gillie Lake Park in Camillus over the summer.

The photo itself may not trigger suspicions, but the witness’ story behind it does.

Billie Jo Smith tells NewsChannel 9: “I looked in his eyes and I could see fear. It horrified me.”

It wasn’t until 44-year-old Susan Orendorf was arrested last week on criminal charges related to child abuse that Smith realized it was the same woman she encountered over the summer.

Smith says she first noticed how Orendorf forced her son to stay on the beach, while another girl was in the water.

“She goes: ‘You put your hands right next to your side…’ like a military stance. ‘You don’t move.'”

Eventually, she saw the boy run away and the mom chase after. Smith followed to watch what unfolded.

She remembers the mom getting ahold of the boy, swearing and scolding him.

“‘You’re nothing,'” she recalls hearing. “‘You’re going to be nothing… You’re going to listen to me or else.”‘

Smith didn’t know what happened next, because the boy and woman were behind a van.