As a parent, it is your responsibility to keep children safe, and not just from the outside world. If you’re a single parent and dating, it’s your duty to keep your kids safe from the people you’re bringing around them. Too often, we hear stories about parents dating someone who ends up severely abusing or even killing their children. Some of those parents may have been genuinely unaware of what was happening but not always. Florida mom Taylor Schaefer is facing decades in jail because she didn’t protect her son. Initially, the mom tried to say that she suspected her boyfriend was abusing her child, but the truth was so much worse.
The mom is being held accountable for her role in her son’s abuse.
On March 9, 2026, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office announced that Schaefer has been sentenced to 60 years in prison because she didn’t stop her boyfriend, Shawn Stone, from repeatedly beating and torturing her 5-year-old son. She entered an open plea to the many charges she was facing.
During the sheriff’s office’s investigation, multiple recordings were found of the boy getting beatings from Stone.
The boy was subjected to horrible abuses.
In addition to the beatings, the investigation showed that the boy was tortured, WFTV reported. He was kept for hours with his hands tied behind his back. Additionally, he was tied up and locked inside a dog cage as punishment.
The boy also was subjected to severe neglect and deprived of food. Having food withheld and being denied meals was a frequent punishment.
Eventually, Schaefer did something about what was happening to her son.
The mom called deputies after she says she got a “gut feeling” that Stone was abusing her son, WFLA reported in June 2023. She reportedly checked surveillance footage to confirm the abuse before calling 911.
Stone reportedly beat the boy with a mop handle, kicked, and punched him for having an accident, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
What she allowed her boyfriend to get away with is hard to read.
“In one incident, his hands were bound behind his back from 6:43 p.m. one evening until 2:02 p.m. the following day,” the sheriff’s office shared, per WFLA. “On another occasion, his legs, feet, arms and torso were bound for at least an hour while Stone stood over him.”
Schaefer was seen on video telling the boy to stand up after a beating from Stone. She was also seen mopping up the area where he was beaten with the mop handle on the day she called 911.
“Ultimately, the investigation revealed multiple recordings of the victim receiving beatings while Schaefer was present in the house, as well as several instances where he was visibly injured and limping in her presence, but received no care or medical attention,” the sheriff’s office noted.
When the boy was taken to the hospital, doctors and nurses found he had 45 visible injuries, internal injuries, and a fractured skull, WFLA reported.
Both Schaefer and Stone faced dozens of charges.
Schaefer faced 25 charges related to not stopping or getting involved with Stone’s abuse of her son. They included aggravated child abuse, child neglect, false imprisonment, failure to report child abuse, conspiracy to commit those crimes, and evidence and witness tampering. According to the sheriff’s office, Stone’s case is still pending in court.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
