Florida woman arrested for ‘beating adopted son works at church daycare center

A Florida woman who was arrested over the horrific abuse of her adopted 14-year-old son worked as a teacher at a church daycare center, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

DailyMail.com has obtained the charging document for Patricia Hyler that lays bare the grisly abuse the unnamed teen endured, accusing the 47-year-old of targeting the boy because she doesn’t like red heads.

Hyler was arrested and charged with one felony count of aggravated child abuse last Friday in Pace, Florida. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said it was the worst example of child abuse he had witnessed in his 38-year career.

The mother-of-four’s most recent place of work is listed as a teacher at Capstone Academy, which is for young children with disabilities, and prior to that she worked as a teacher at a local church’s daycare center and as a church secretary, according to the charging document. 

The report goes into stomach-churning details of the alleged abuse, claiming Hyler beat the teen, who the Florida Department of Children and Families described as a ‘target child’, with a chain leash, chipped his front teeth with pliers and cut him with a knife. 

The mother-of-four’s most recent place of work is listed as a teacher at Capstone Academy, which is for young children with disabilities, and prior to that she worked as a teacher at a local church and as a church secretary, according to the charging document

The charging document notes Hyler worked as a teacher at Capstone Academy beginning in 2011. Prior to that, she worked at Beginning Our Future Daycare in 2009 and as a secretary at an unnamed church in 2007. 

Over the course of two pages, officials lay out the abuse Hyler allegedly inflicted on the 14-year-old over the past two years. 

The three other children adopted by Hyler and her husband Tommy Hyler were also abused during that time period, police said. 

However, the 14-year-old was ‘the target of most of the abuse’, which was ‘much worse than that experienced by the other children,’ the document states. 

Sheriff Johnson said Hyler had a ‘special interest’ in the boy, who the couple first took in when he was seven years old, with Hyler telling ‘all of the children that she doesn’t like ”red heads”.’

‘I’ve seen a lot of bad things,’ Johnson said. ‘But this is pretty bad.’ 

‘As a father it p****s me off,’ the sheriff added. ‘Somebody that can do that to another human is bad enough but you start doing that to a child? We take it personally.’

The sheriff explained Hyler had removed the child from a school setting for two years to avoid being caught abusing him. 

In order to keep the children quiet, Hyler allegedly threatened them that ‘if they were removed from [her] care because they reported abuse, she would find them and kill them.’

Further charges will be filed later this week but it’s unknown whether these will relate to the 14-year-old or to Hyler’s other children. 

The charging document notes Hyler worked as a teacher at Capstone Academy beginning in 2011. Prior to that, she worked at Beginning Our Future Daycare (pictured) in 2009 and as a secretary at an unnamed church in 2007

In order to keep the children quiet, Hyler allegedly threatened them that ‘if they were removed from [her] care because they reported abuse, she would find them and kill them.’ Pictured:  Capstone Academy where Hyler is listed as working there as a teacher

Hyler is accused of carrying out ‘punishments’ on the 14-year-old, including not letting him take baths, instead making him stand naked in the backyard and hosing him down. 

She allegedly starved the boy, leading the other children to sneak him food. But Hyler would ‘take food from his mouth’ if she caught him eating and would punish him, the charging document states. 

The mother also allegedly made the 14-year-old sleep on a filthy kitchen floor without pillows or blankets and would ‘strike him with a chain dog leash, the side of a folded belt, a ”2×4”, and a baseball bat.’

‘Hyler would use kitchen knives to create small lacerations all over [the teen’s] upper torso. The area with the highest number of healing cuts and scars were on [the teen’s] arms and hands.

‘The most recent cut was on the back of [the teen’s] head, toward the top, and was approximately 5cm in length.

Hyler would allegedly strangle the 14-year-old with her hands and dog leash, police said.   

In an interview with officials, the teen described the most recent incident with Hyler.

He claimed his adopted mother flew into a rage when she returned home and discovered he hadn’t finished some chores before she got back.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson (pictured) said it was the worst example of child abuse he had witnessed in his 38-year career. Sheriff Johnson said Hyler had a ‘special interest’ in the boy, who the couple first took in when he was seven years old, with Hyler telling ‘all of the children that she doesn’t like ”red heads”

One of Hyler’s children eventually brought the case to the police’s attention. Former adopted members of the household, who had since left, described similar episodes of abuse, the Miami Herald reported. Pictured: Hyler’s home in Pace, Florida 

‘[Hyler] began slashing at [the teen] with a knife causing small lacerations to his arms and hands,’ the charging document reads. 

‘[The teen] leaned over the tub because his arms were bleeding. [Hyler] struck [the teen] in the back of the head with the sharp edge of a kitchen knife, causing the knife to be momentarily stuck in his head.  

‘[Hyler] called him a ”stupid bastard’ and told him he is ”good for nothing son of a b***h” and ‘your mom didn’t want you” while striking him”.’

At least two other children inside the house witnessed the alleged incident, giving details about what happened to police.

One of the children, who suffers from mental development delays, claims Hyler stepped on his neck after saying he saw Hyler standing over the 14-year-old with a knife.   

One of Hyler’s children eventually brought the case to the police’s attention. Former adopted members of the household, who had since left, described similar episodes of abuse, the Miami Herald reported.    

Hyler was arrested and charged Friday with aggravated child abuse. She is being held at Santa Rosa jail without bond. 

Tommy Hyler worked long hours and is not thought to have been involved in the abuse, police said.