PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – Two Ohio parents and a grandmother accused of tying three home-schooled children to their beds, beating them with belts and paddles and depriving them of food have been indicted on child endangerment charges.
The Scioto (sy-OH'-tuh) County sheriff's office says it learned about the abuse after one of the girls sent an email for help to a teacher at an online school.
The indictments were handed down Tuesday. The adults are charged with three counts each of child endangerment.
One of the adults is a stepfather from the Virgin Islands. He's also charged with raping two of the children, girls ages 9 and 11.
The sheriff's office says the girls and their 8-year-old brother have scars to match their stories of abuse.
The adults' attorneys have declined to comment or ignored requests for comment.