4 adults in Fort White, Florida, have been arrested for allegedly abusing 9 kids inside their house, the place some had been locked in makeshift cages, sprayed with vinegar as punishment, and denied correct education. Brian Matthew Griffeth, 47, Jill Elizabeth Griffeth, 41, Dallin Russel Griffeth, 21, and Liberty Ann Griffeth, 19, had been taken into custody on July 22, following a July 3 wellness test that exposed disturbing dwelling circumstances contained in the household’s cell house situated within the deep woods of Columbia County, about 35 miles northwest of Gainesville.
5 of the kids are organic, whereas 4 had been adopted privately in Arizona. They vary in age from 7 to 16, in accordance with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Workplace as reported by The New York Submit.In the course of the wellness test, officers grew to become involved after noticing the 4 adopted kids had been doing chores, whereas the organic kids had been watching TV or enjoying. Investigators later uncovered disturbing types of punishment and management used on the kids.
Crushed, drugged, assaulted
The Griffeths allegedly caged kids beneath a bunk mattress by screwing in a chunk of plywood to entice them. One 14-year-old boy advised investigators he was “routinely” locked within the bunk mattress cage for a lot of the day and evening and was solely set free for meals or when “he desires to play.” He stated he needed to maintain his bladder at evening till being launched within the morning, as quoted by The New York Submit.The teenager stated he was within the fourth grade, didn’t know his birthday, and had by no means been correctly educated. A 14-year-old woman additionally stated she was “illiterate” and hadn’t been to highschool in years.Investigators revealed extra abusive practices, together with Jill Griffeth forcing kids to lie on the ground and urgent a sheet of plywood on prime of them, inflicting ache and splinters. Brian Griffeth allegedly beat the adopted and foster kids with a cane however prevented leaving marks. The kids had been additionally given non-prescribed remedy and had been instructed to lie in regards to the house’s circumstances.Court docket paperwork, obtained by Legislation & Crime, embrace allegations of sexual assault involving not less than one of many Griffeth adults, as reported by The NY Submit.The household had moved from Arizona to Florida earlier in 2024. A tenth youngster who had beforehand lived with the Griffeths as a foster youngster was discovered protected along with her organic mother and father in Arizona. Authorities stated the woman had moved to Florida with the household, however later contacted her mom, begging to be taken again.All 4 suspects had been booked into the Columbia county detention facility. Brian, Dallin, and Liberty Griffeth had been every held on $500,000 bonds. Jill Griffeth’s bond was listed at $1,500,000.The Florida division of kids and households eliminated all 9 kids from the house. Investigators with the Youngster Safety Crew interviewed every youngster earlier than the arrests had been made.