DeLand, FL — A Florida woman has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading no contest to dozens of charges related to the abuse and neglect of children in her care.
Taylor Schaefer was sentenced Friday after previously entering no contest pleas to 25 felony charges, including multiple counts of aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, and tampering with a witness in a life felony proceeding.
The case began on May 9, 2023, when Schaefer reported that she had seen her live-in boyfriend, Shawn Stone, abusing her five-year-old son on home surveillance video while she was away from their DeLand residence.
According to investigators, the video showed Stone repeatedly punching the child and striking him with a mop after the boy had a bedwetting accident. The assault left the child with a fractured skull. A medical examination conducted by Child Protective Services later documented 46 visible injuries.
Following Stone’s arrest, investigators uncovered evidence showing a pattern of abuse and neglect involving all three children living in the home.
Authorities said surveillance footage and statements from the oldest child indicated that Schaefer knew about the abuse and failed to intervene or protect the children. Investigators also discovered text messages between Schaefer and Stone that suggested she participated in the neglect and abuse.
“A mother’s sacred duty is to love and protect her children – not to viciously beat, torture, and demean them,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said following the sentencing. “It is a brutal reality that some mothers commit shamefully violent and cruel acts upon their children.”
The case was investigated by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis.
Judge Kathleen McNeilly presided over the case and imposed the 60-year prison sentence.
The criminal case against Schaefer’s co-defendant, Shawn Stone, is still pending.
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