A boy and girl, ages 8 and 10, were starved and tortured by their adoptive parents, Samuel Earl Hollie II and Brandi Rae Hollie (both pictured). The children were homeschooled and “isolated from others”. Their younger sibling, the Hollies’ biological child, was not reported to be abused.

The children were in foster care before they were adopted by the Hollies in 2015. The adoption agency’s policies require training, home study, a background check with references, monthly visits for 90 days, and a one-year checkup phone call. It is unclear when the children’s homeschooling began. The boy reported that the Hollies beat him, waterboarded him, and tased him. The girl reported she was forced to sleep in a closet, beaten unconscious with a baseball bat and a belt, tased, and burned. Both children were restricted to a diet of bread, water, and occasional table scraps from the Hollies’ full meals. When they escaped, the children were malnourished, scarred, and disfigured.

The abuse came to light when the Hollies dropped the children off at their uncle’s house while they went to work. The children escaped and ran to a nearby apartment complex, where a concerned resident called the authorities. The Hollies were charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Gainesville, Florida

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