Florida Family Arrested for Alleged Child Abuse, Accused of Beating and Locking Adopted Kids Underneath Floorboards By Escher Walcott

Four adult family members in Florida have been arrested and charged with alleged child abuse of several adopted and foster children in their care.

Brian, 47, Jill, 41, Dalllin, 21, and Liberty Griffeth, 19, were charged with aggravated child abuse on July 22, after being accused of abusing nine children aged 7 to 16 living at the family’s residence in Fort White, Fla., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said in a news release on Facebook.

“On July 3, 2025, Columbia County sheriff’s deputies were called to assist the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) with a court-ordered pickup of nine children residing at the residence of Brian and Jill Griffeth,” the CCSO said. “This pick-up order was a result of an investigation of alleged child abuse that was happening in the home stemming from concerns by a mandatory reporter at their local church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Branford, Fla.”

The nine children mentioned in the investigation included five biological children and four who are adopted. Concerns were raised after the church noticed that one of the Griffeth’s children had a “functioning electronic stun gun” a few days prior, causing worry as to whether the adopted children were “being treated unfairly compared to the biological children,” the CCSO said.

According to authorities, the children claimed during police interviews that they were “caged under the bunk bed” and unable to escape after being “screwed” down in the plywood, “sprayed in the face with vinegar as a form of punishment,” allegedly beaten with a cane and forced to lie on the floor with a piece of plywood on top of them and pressed down. 

The kids were also allegedly not being taken to school or taught how to read and write and were given non-prescribed medication.

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According to an arrest warrant, Brian and Jill adopted their children in Arizona before recently moving to Fort White. They allegedly insisted that the stun gun at the church was a “fake toy,” which was later proved to be a real weapon.

The arrest warrant reportedly stated that a church employee told child welfare authorities that the Griffeths “primarily foster or adopt African American children and expressed concerns that these foster/adoptive children are being treated unfairly.” They also alleged that “none of the foster or adopted children are familiar with their last names or basic personal information.”

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The CCSO said that a tenth foster child also lives at the home, but they were not present at the time. The child was later located “safe and healthy” in Arizona with their biological parents.

A foster child with a redacted name in the arrest warrant also accuses the Griffeths’ adult son, Dillan, of sexual assault.

Brian, Jill, Dalin and Liberty were transported to the Columbia County Detention Facility and are being held there on $500,000 bond.