A Florida man faces charges of child abuse after allegedly severely beating a child because of a missing couch cushion. Police say the beating went on for a long time, lasting nearly a half hour. The beating was incredibly severe. To date, there’s no report on how the child is doing.
In addition to the man who reportedly gave the child the severe beating, police also arrested and charged his wife. The woman told police that she knew about the abuse, but failed to report it to the authorities.
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The police began investigating the incident days after it happened.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, 42-year-old Lance Rachel Sr. was arrested on December 11, 2024, for an incident that happened on December 7. The sheriff’s office began the child abuse investigation after Department of Children and Families and law enforcement officers informed police of the possible abuse.
The man allegedly became enraged over a couch cushion.
The sheriff’s office stated that the man became angry over a missing couch cushion, accusing the child of lying about its whereabouts.
After the accusation, police say Rachel “maliciously punished” the child “by screaming obscenities and physically abusing the victim over the course of 28 minutes.” Rachel also allegedly beat the child “over 50 times” with a belt.
There was concrete evidence.
In addition to the alleged verbal abuse and beating, the man reportedly choked the child and threatened to break the child’s jaw.
In-home surveillance cameras captured some of the abuse, authorities say. Police say the child is OK, but have not given more information or any details on the child’s well-being.
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The man admitted to the abuse.
Later, on December 16, police interviewed the man after bringing him in for questioning. Rachel admitted the abuse to police, and authorities charged her with aggravated child abuse and battery by strangulation.
Additionally, his wife, Kimberly Rachel, was arrested for failure to report the known child abuse. Police have not said how the child is related to the couple.
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.
