A Florida couple has been charged with aggravated child abuse stemming from an investigation of their runaway son, who had allegedly been locked in a small structure for several years, and forced to use a bucket as a toilet, according to an announcement made in a Wednesday Facebook post.
Detectives with the Jupiter Police Department made the discovery while responding to a follow-up investigation of the 13-year-old, who had been reported as a missing runaway. According to the Facebook post, the teen’s mother, Tracy Ferriter, allowed one detective into the home, which is when he observed an 8×8 structure inside the garage.
The Facebook post indicated Ferriter told police the space was used an “office or storage space.” It was equipped with a doorknob and deadbolt, “both locking from outside as well as a light switch only on the exterior.”
Detectives located the missing teen the following day at his school, and were able to conduct interviews with the juvenile, according to the post from the police department. Investigators determined the teen had been, “physically abused and forcibly confined to live within the garage structure by his adopted parents (Tracy and Timothy Ferriter) since at least 2017,” according to the police. (RELATED: Turpin Children Were Put Into Dog Cages As Form Of Punishment)
Investigators said the teen was able to attend school, but “confined to the structure the remainder of the day,” according to the post. “Meals were brought to the child and the bucket was provided for bathroom use,” police added. In addition to the bucket, investigators noted a camera and mattress were found in the structure.
The teen’s parents “fed the child leftovers from meals they first provided to the rest of the family and monitored the child’s activities through a surveillance camera,” according to The Palm Beach Post.
Jupiter couple faces aggravated child abuse charge; police say they made child live in box in garage https://t.co/BJ7USnPCnp
— The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) February 9, 2022
In addition to the victim, there were three other children living in the home at the time of the arrest. The minors have all been removed by Child Protective Services, while the elder Ferriters were transported to the Palm Beach County Jail, according to the Facebook post.