Brutal parents 'caged adopted kids and sprayed their faces with vinegar'

Four adults have been arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after allegedly caging nine children and spraying them in the face as a form of punishment, authorities have said.

Husband and wife Brian Matthew Griffeth, 47, and Jill Griffeth, 41, along with 21-year-old Dallin Griffeth and 19-year-old Liberty Griffeth, are all accused of the crimes against the minors at their home in Fort White, Florida. Columbia County sheriff's deputies were called to assist the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) with a court-ordered pick-up of the children on July 3.

Of the nine children who were removed from the house, five are biological and four adopted - with ages ranging from seven to 16 years old. The children were taken away following an investigation of alleged child abuse.

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Police were first notified of the alleged abuse when a first official reported that one of the children had an electric stun gun at a church camp in Branford, Florida. While Brian Griffeth claimed the stun gun was a toy and fake, officials later determined it was real, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Law & Crime.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office said in a press release this week that additional concerns were raised about the adopted children being treated differently than the couple's biological children. The children didn't even know their full name or their own birthdays, authorities said.

When officials conducted a wellness check and interviewed the family, they discovered the foster children doing chores, while the biological kids were playing or watching TV, police said. During the visit, investigators also found out the couple have a 10th foster child that wasn't at the home but was with their biological parent in Arizona.

After the Glendale Police Department carried out a well-being check, they found the child in question to be safe and healthy. While interviewing the children, the DCF discovered "various forms of child abuse" which included beating, being caged and sprayed in the face with vinegar.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office said in a statement shared on Facebook: "During the interview of the children by DCF, various forms of child abuse were discovered. Accusations of the adopted children being beaten with a cane by Brian and also locked in their bedrooms by Brian and the other adults. As a result of the allegations of physical abuse, DCF investigators obtained a court order to remove all of the children from the home."

Child Protection Team (CPT) investigators then stepped in to interview all nine children, who made serious allegations against the Griffeths. One claimed he was caged under a bunk bed with plywood screwed in to prevent his escape.

Other disturbing allegations included: being forced to lie on the floor by the mother, Jill, and having her place a sheet of plywood on top of the child's body and press down on them resulting in splinters and pain, being sprayed in the face with vinegar as a form of punishment, being given non-prescribed medication, being instructed to lie about what happens at home, and not being taken to or provided with adequate schooling to read or write.

All four "active and participating adults" in the home were arrested on July 22 and transported to the Columbia County Detention Facility. Each of them is being held on $500,000 (£372,130) bond.