(WHDH) — A husband and wife are facing child abuse charges after police say they forced their adopted teenage son to live inside an 8-foot-by-8-foot structure that they set up in the garage.
Tracy and Timothy Ferriter, of Jupiter, Florida, were arraigned Wednesday on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Detectives responding to a home in Jupiter’s Egret Landing community on Jan. 30 to follow up with an investigation into a missing 13-year-old runaway spoke with Tracy, who allowed one detective inside, according to the Jupiter Police Department.
While inside the home, police say the detective spotted a box-like structure in the garage that Tracy referred to as a “home office.”
“The structure had a doorknob and deadbolt, both locking from the outside as well as a light switch only on the exterior,” police said in a news release. “Within the structure was a camera, mattress, and a bucket.
When questioned about the structure, police say Tracy insisted that the enclosure was utilized as an office or for storage space.
Detectives located the missing runaway at school the following day and reportedly learned that the couple had adopted him.
A subsequent investigation revealed that teen had been been physically abused and forcibly confined to live within the garage structure since at least 2017, according to police.
The teen was allowed to attend school but at all other times he was confined to the structure, where meals were brought to him and a bucket was provided for bathroom use, police added.
Tracy and Timothy are being held on $50,000 bail at the Palm Beach County Jail.
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