Neil Roger Farrell and Janet Lynn Farrell a Pickens County, Georgia husband and wife arrested following child abuse of teen daughter, Olivia Farrell who they beat and locked in a room months on end.
Pickens County, Georgia authorities have arrested Neil and Janet Farrell, the parents of an 18 year old teen girl who they allegedly beat the soles of their daughter’s feet along with locking her in a room for months on end.
Upon being taken into custody over the weekend, husband and wife faced charges of exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, false imprisonment along with two counts of first-degree cruelty to children reported 11alive.com.
The charges follow Neil Roger Farrell, 56, and Janet Lynn Farrell, 54, informing the Pickens Sheriff’s Office that their daughter, Olivia Farrell, was missing according to a released news release.
Authorities arrived at the family’s home Saturday after learning that the teen had been missing since entering a wooded area hours earlier.
The Farrells, whom authorities said had ‘active adult guardianship’ of the teen, reported that she had a number of behavioral issues. A search ensued, during which investigators found ‘areas of concern’ in the family home, including the ‘use of video recording equipment,’ inside of the daughter’s room, a lock on the door that prevented her from leaving the bedroom, along with the lack of any personal effects within the room, the sheriff’s office said.
The department said following a 20 hour search, they found the missing teen, who ‘had been walking through the night,’ after getting a call about a sighting roughly 15 miles away. Following the arrest of the parents, authorities said they arranged ‘a safe environment’ for the teen to stay in.
Neil and Janet Farrell, Pickens County, Georgia parents abused daughters clandestinely for years.
Detectives reportedly discovered evidence showing the parents locking the teen in her room for stretches ‘ranging from days to months’ as ‘a common form of discipline.’
“During some of these time periods, she would only be provided meals and very limited opportunities to use a restroom,’ the sheriff’s office said, adding that during ‘at least one ‘grounding period,’ the teen was allegedly given a bucket when she had to go to the bathroom outside of the allotted schedule.
Among other types of ‘punishment,’ the teen was allegedly hit on the bottoms of her feet ‘to prevent visible bruising,’ the sheriff’s said.
Fox5Atlanta reported deputies claiming that the alleged child abuse having gone on for several years, news of which stunned neighbors.
‘We were all shocked, just couldn’t believe that was happening,’ said neighbor Shawn Roberts.
Kylie Smith said she saw the teen and one of her sisters at the stables in the community when the father would bring them down to look at the horses.
‘They would never speak. They would just stand there with their arms down and he would be like ‘You can speak now’ and they would only say like two or three words, then they’d stop,’ said Smith.
The couple is expected to appear for a bond hearing Thursday afternoon. The couple face potential additional charges, the sheriff’s office said.