A Central Florida mother was sentenced for a cycle of neglect and abuse.
All three children were living in the DeLand home in Volusia County. “A mother’s sacred duty is to love and protect her children – not to viciously beat, torture, and demean them,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case.
During a recent hearing, defendant Taylor Schaefer was sentenced to 60 years in prison. She entered no contest pleas last year to 25 felony charges, which included multiple counts of Aggravated Child Abuse, Kidnapping, and Tampering with a Witness in a Life Felony Proceeding.
On May 9, 2023, Schaefer reported that she saw her live-in boyfriend and co-defendant, Shawn Stone, abusing her five-year-old son on home surveillance video while she was away.
The video shows Stone punching and striking the young child with a mop over a bedwetting accident. He was beaten so severely that he sustained a fractured skull. There were also 46 visible injuries reported by Child Protective Services (CPS) following its medical examination.
After Stone’s arrest, investigators uncovered a cycle of neglect and abuse of all three children living in the DeLand home in Volusia County.
Home video surveillance and an interview of the oldest child proved Schaefer knew about the neglect and abuse by Stone and did not intervene or protect them. Text messages between the co-defendants also showed that the mother participated in the neglect and abuse.
“It is a brutal reality that some mothers commit shamefully violent and cruel acts upon their children,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “God bless and keep these children as they navigate through life after suffering such atrocities.”
The Central Florida case was investigated by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis successfully prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Florida. The Honorable Kathleen McNeilly heard the case and pronounced sentence.
The case against Stone is still pending.
