Florida couple accused of child abuse captured

A Florida couple accused of torturing and starving five &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2003/03/05/44044.html' target=_blank>adopted children -- including pulling out their toenails and subjecting them to electric shocks -- was captured yesterday in southeastern Utah after police tracked them through their cellphones, officials said.

John and Linda Dollar were jailed in San Juan County, Utah, on Florida warrants of felony aggravated &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/09/27/37257.html' target=_blank>child abuse.

The family included seven adopted children, ages 12 to 17. Five of the children told investigators they were tortured by the couple, subjected to electric shocks, beaten with hammers and had their toenails yanked out with pliers.

Authorities said the five had injuries to back up their claims and were severely malnourished. The children told of being forced to sleep in a closet in the Dollars' bedroom because the couple accused them of stealing food and misbehaving, said Citrus County sheriff's spokesperson Gail Tierney, writes London Free Press.

According to the Independent Online, doctors alerted investigators two weeks ago when the couple's 16-year-old boy, who weighed just 27kg, was treated at a hospital for head and neck injuries.