The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
Four adults from a Florida family with multiple adopted children were arrested for allegedly locking them in cages and physically and sexually abusing them while providing proper care to their biological kids.
According to reports, a family from Arizona with five biological children often provided foster care for youths in need. They also privately adopted four children, the youngest of whom is 7, and the oldest is 16. The family recently moved into a trailer in Columbia County, Florida, with their sizeable family. While at a church camp near their new residence, one of the children reportedly got caught with a Taser, and when the parents were told, they said it was a toy. An official reported the incident to the authorities, and the investigation that followed reportedly uncovered a disturbing situation.
When the police talked to someone from the church who had visited the family’s home, the individual reported to child welfare that what they saw led them to believe the adopted children were being abused by the parents and two adult family members. They listed multiple reasons for their assertions, including that the adopted children did not receive proper education, were unaware of their last names and birthdays, appeared to be forced to perform labor, and were not treated as part of the family.