Boy accuses parents of tearing his toenails out with pliers

Five children who say they were abused by their adoptive parents told investigators they were denied food for up to three days and hung by chains in their home.

One boy said his toenails had been ripped out by pliers.

John and Linda Dollar, who live in Aberdeen, Florida, have pleaded not guilty to child abuse after five of their seven children told police they had been tortured and starved.

Three of the children, aged 12 to 17, were severely malnourished.

The Dollars face 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

The children were placed in foster care after the Dollars’ 16-year-old son - weighing just over four stones – was taken to the hospital with a head wound and red marks on his neck.

The couple’s 14-year-old son told investigators that he and his siblings would sleep in the cupboard of their parents’ bedroom as punishment for stealing food.

The boy also alleged the children were beaten with belts, bats, switches and whips; kicked if they were caught stealing; and on at least one occasion struck with a cattle prod.

Along with being taped to chairs, chains had been wrapped around their stomachs and their father would hang them until they blacked out, the boy said.

The 14-year-old also told police his toenails had been ripped off with pliers, saying it hurt “very bad.”

He said he would scream to make them stop.

Investigators have said that two of the Dollars’ children appeared not to have been harmed by the couple because they were favoured.