Nationwide — Taylor Schaefer, a mother from DeLand, Florida, who let her boyfriend repeatedly abuse her 5-year-old son, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. The boy suffered a fractured skull and dozens of other injuries from the attacks.
The case came to light in May 2023 when Schaefer reported seeing home surveillance footage showing her boyfriend, Shawn Stone, striking her son while she was away. The videos allegedly showed Stone punching the boy and hitting him with a mop after a bedwetting incident.
According to People, medical exams revealed 46 injuries on the child, including a fractured skull. Investigators found multiple videos of abuse and confirmed Schaefer had been at home during some of the incidents, but failed to seek medical care for her child.
The boy was reportedly left with his hands tied behind his back for hours and sometimes locked in a dog cage without food. The home where the abuse happened had three children living in it, authorities said.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza called Schaefer’s actions “cruel and violent,” saying, “A mother’s sacred duty is to love and protect her children — not to viciously beat, torture and demean them.”
Schaefer pleaded guilty to 25 felony charges, including aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, and tampering with a witness. Her sentencing came on Friday from the 7th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
The case against Stone is ongoing, and officials say it’s unclear whether he has entered a plea.