DELAND, Fla. — A couple from Volusia County is facing dozens of charges after authorities say they repeatedly and "brutally" hit a 5-year-old boy.
Shawn Stone, 32, and Taylor Schaefer, 28, were arrested.
According to a Facebook post from the Volusia Sheriff's Office, officials received video surveillance footage from inside the home on May 9 through a search warrant, which was the same day as Stone's initial arrest.
Using the video, authorities say they were able to confirm Stone, who was Schaefer's live-in boyfriend, was abusing the 5-year-old.
Deputies say there were multiple incidents in which the child was being hit while Schaefer was present but the 5-year-old still did not receive any care or medical attention. In one instance, she also reportedly mopped up an area where Stone had beaten the child with the mop handle.
"Video from the days leading up to that incident showed the 5-year-old victim was not only beaten but repeatedly left with his hands bound behind his back for hours at a time," the sheriff's office wrote in the Facebook post. "In one incident, his hands were bound behind his back from 6:43 p.m. one evening until 2:02 p.m. the following day.
"On another occasion, his legs, feet, arms and torso were bound for at least an hour while Stone stood over him."
Investigators say Stone also tied up the 5-year-old and placed him in a dog cage while depriving him of food. Deputies say another child in the home was forced to drink boiling water, sprayed with boiling water and beaten with several household objects.
Doctors and nurses reportedly found 46 visible injuries to the 5-year-old plus other internal injuries, including a fractured skull.
"The couple’s charges include aggravated child abuse, child neglect, false imprisonment, failure to report child abuse, conspiracy, plus evidence and witness tampering," the sheriff's office says.
Stone was charged with his additional counts Friday afternoon while still in custody with no bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail, deputies say. However, as of Sunday evening, Schaefer has not been located.
The children have been removed from the home and placed in a safe environment while the investigation continues, authorities say.
