They told me that I can't eat anything They'll starve me They put me in a closet They locked me in and I can't come out I'm going to jail? I'm going to jail too? A 15-year-old student secretly asked her online teacher to send police to her home. When officers arrived, what started off as a routine welfare check would end up uncovering a decade-long history of unspeakable acts endured by the young girl I have a caller on the line calling about a virtual teacher and a female student at that address is asking her to call police for her - Hello? Hi, yes - Go ahead Hi, yes, hello Hi Okay, so tell me exactly what happened We're in a virtual class right now I actually teach for a virtual school I'm the teacher, and she started commenting in the chat I need help, please, please, please I'm in trouble Please call the police I did ask her the address right away and then I just kind of paused my class and called Okay, did she say anything else? Did she say what was going on? She hasn't Hey, what's up, man? - What's going on, man? - Hey, how's it going? Hello Hi Hi, how are you? Yeah, I'm on the phone with the principal now Okay, I guess something happened on virtual learning or something Yes, this is the second time she did it I don't understand why she... Is that her? Yes What's going on? Go and put them underwear up What's going on? (Unintelligible) Tell him what you did I got myself into trouble You got yourself in trouble? Yeah 25 with the student What did you do? Tell him what you did at school (Unintelligible) 225 with the student (Unintelligible) take me It's the principal - Whatever, uh... - Hello, hello, hello Stop, Pearl Mr. Adams, here go the police Hold on All right Okay M... Mr. Adams? Get your shoes (Phone chatter) Okay, well, what's going on? Who am I speaking with? It's Officer Rodriguez, Margate Police You guys... You contacted us, right? Can I get a robe? Yeah, of course Basically, like, call the police I... I need help I don't know the exact messaging Okay, did she... Did the teacher see anything on video, or there was just a message? That's it? It was just a message I'm trying to look back here and see what she said Um She... That she's in trouble Okay And that's... That's all the detail that I have Hold on, give me... Hold on, hold on one second Okay, so, so pretty much that's that's what she wrote, but did he see... Did he see anything happening on the line? Okay, all right, well, we're... We're... Okay We're here with her She's crying Uh, I'm sure she got in trouble with Mom because I've met with Mom, so I guess we'll have a talk with everyone and we'll take it from there - Okay - Do you need anything from me? Or? No, no, no What, uh, just a message and let's just make sure nothing did happen That's all - All right, thank you very much - Okay You're welcome Bye Hello, hello And I'm, I... I guess your mom? Yeah Okay I guess, uh, she got online from what the principal said Said something about needing help you know, send the police Um, they didn't see anything on, on on video, but she did that I don't know She do it a couple of times It's not the first time it's happened Pearl has... She has... I don't really like to talk in front of her about her issues Let me talk to the police first Go to your room for a minute and I'll call you back The teenager had asked for help but the reason remained unclear Before officers heard her side the adults inside the home offered their explanations I have IPF IEP? IEP They... They know about her And she's been diagnosed with all these things? Yeah She's been She go to counseling for it She's in, um, right now she's being processed But I was cooking I usually sit and watch her do work because this, this is why I sit here with her I'm not working I sit with her at school all day Okay So now I have... My elderly father's here Okay I'm cooking for him I go in the kitchen I come back I say, Pearl, what you doing? She's eating, trying to get like elderberries What's that for? You know elderberries? The vitamins? She's trying to get the elderberries So I'm like, Pearl, what are you doing? "Nothing" I say, Pearl, you stealing the elderberries? You know you can get harmful Because she like to take it and eat the whole bottle Right One day she ate 3 bottles of them Back to back Right So she like to get them and sneak them but they come through Amazon so they be in the boxes and I put them up and I hide them But of course she's... She be messing with stuff She find them So she... She hid them in the corner in the corner So I'm like, Pearl, why you got my elderberries? You know you’re in trouble So when I said... I'm talking to her, like yelling, for... like, why you did that? Why you doing this? You know what I'm saying? And she... Start... I guess she printed on the computer because she's sitting there Oh, help, come to my house Okay So I look on the computer, I go sit down I say I see my address I said, Pearl, you did that again? "No" Okay I say, you know I can check I go back, I look on the, um go back on the school thing and I see the whole thing Help, please call 911 Yeah, that's what the principal said that it was just a message pretty much like that and there was no video - or anything - She ran away before twice - Police brought her back - Police brought her back Have you talked to her by herself at all? I was going to but she started crying and then spoke to the principal first Then she's been put in the police car - They go handcuff her - She got the handcuff She have a lot of issues All right, well we'll take a quick talk with her Spoke to the principal, spoke to you - talk to her then... - Thank you so much And then we'll get to the bottom of it Thank you Latricia and Benjamin were the teen's guardians But with only the adults' explanation to go on officers needed to hear from the teenager alone Hey, Pearl What's going on today? I need help Help with what? They hurt me In the head Take your time It hit me in the head Who hit you in the head? Where? Where'd she hit you? They tried to wash it off Tried to wash it off They tried to wash it Wash what off? Let's see So how did that happen? I, I, I got hit Okay, until you slow down We're gonna wait We're gonna wait for you We're gonna wait You just breathe Breathe in Can I talk to her alone? Okay Uh Yeah, don't... go ahead That's okay We'll get... We got it Then she sees me on the camera going on the side of the couch She thought I was trying to steal something but I told her I wasn't trying to steal anything And then my uncle told me I won't be able to eat nothing for a week I'll have to wait till next weekend to eat They told me that I can't eat anything They'll starve me I tried to tell them that I wasn't lying They thought that I was... that I was lying but I wasn't lying What happened? My uncle got mad He hit me and they tried to wash it off She tried to wash, um... I just got out the shower before you came here You just got out of the shower? (Unintelligible) Yes, yes And how many times has this happened before? Not the first time, not the first time I'm gonna look it up and then I'm just gonna see because I might not see this That, that's... Yeah And then I tried to tell him it wasn't right And then she told me that I wouldn't eat and I got scared And I tried to tell him the truth - I tried, like... - What’s your last name, Pearl? Was anybody else in there besides your aunt and you uncle? Or is that your mom? - her, her dad - Is that family? Who's this? I don't know who that is Her dad is in there but he don't pay no attention He's sees everything - He sees it - And you're homeschooled? Yes, I'm homeschooled How long has this been going on? Three years Three years? For as long as I've been here, 13 years And is that your mom? That's my aunt Where's your mom and dad? My mom... My mom (unintelligible) I don't know where my dad is - Yeah, that's them - I wanna talk to the younger girl Ma'am, ma'am, Ms. Can you come here for a second? She don't know She wasn't here I... I know she wasn't - but does she know something? - Are you calling me? - Yes, she... - I wanna ask you something I just wanna ask you something You're not in any trouble Let me just talk to her I wanna talk to you real quick too Is that okay? You’re not in any trouble Yeah She's fine though - I'm her grandma - Yeah, we just... We just got here Okay - Stay right there, I'll be right back - Stay here, stay here, stay here, stay here I need help I don't wanna stay no more Please, just don't let me stay no more I'm trying to tell them to stop They put me in a closet so I can't come out and steal no food And I want some food I can't come out and steal anything They locked me in and I can't come out and find anything to eat If I try to... Just, just, just breathe Just breathe so that way you can talk to me ... you're welcome Okay, just breathe The teen's account changed the investigation revealing a broader pattern that raised concerns about her safety and condition Um If you don't pick up that (unintelligible) What happened here before? I, I did that, when I was walking and I... Oh, so you did that? I pushed my chair Okay But he had hit me He had punched You can talk to me (Unintelligible) put his... So how did this happen? He punched you and that's how that happened? Yeah He hit me (unintelligible) With what did he hit you with? It was a brown desk It... It was blood Brown desk? Yes, it was... It's a brown desk by the couch Do you know what's your uncle's name? No, I don't know You don't know his name? No I tried to tell him that I didn't do it They got cameras You can check the cameras They have cameras in the house To see what he did When did this happen? Just before you came She made me take a quick shower before he came here It's on her bathroom curtain So your uncle... your uncle did that? It was an accident because he was mad He thought I was lying to him, but I wasn't lying to him I tried to tell him that I didn't do it that I didn't do anything I tried to tell him that it was by an accident But what did he hit you... Or how did he hit you? He punched me very hard He did it very hard And his wife don't even care All she did was stop him She told him not to do it He did it anyway It was... It was a brown desk brown desk in there And I just... And I just was backing away After I logged off my computer I was backing away He just... He just got mad and he just kept coming to me telling me how bad he wanted to hurt me (Unintelligible) make him hurt me Hurt me so bad I didn't know what to do I didn't know what to do I have to go in the closet They lock me in there She thought I was trying to steal candy I was just (unintelligible) but I told her I... Where was the candy? It was on the side of the couch It was gummies... vitamins It was on the side of the couch and she thought I was trying to steal it but I... I wasn't trying to steal it I was trying to bring it to her and let her know that I was gonna (unintelligible) because I'm not allowed to have sweets Why? Because I get hyper and I'm diagnosed with ADHD Okay And I haven't had it in a long time Every time when I go and ask her, can I have it she'd tell me no So she thought I was trying to steal it but I wasn't because I do steal I ha... I've been stealing ever since I've been here I'm the... I've been stealing And, um… She caught she seen me on the camera, but I didn't eat them, I I didn't eat them though Okay I didn't eat them They still new and everything I never ate them Or even got a chance to grab them or steal them She just in the kitchen cooking for her dad and she seen me She seen me when she came out She seen me I'm telling the truth, telling the truth and they kept saying that they wasn't gonna feed me anything And... Then that's when she got really really mad And she she told him to do it like all the time All the time When he gets mad She just standing right there and she wouldn't even care Nobody will care Nobody will care to come in her room and feed me nothing I'm just tired of it I had enough of it already I had enough You know what else they want me to do? I tried to ask them for this week Because sometimes they do let me have it As a treat They let me have it But every time when I ask them, they always tell me no They tell me, they, they even tell me not to ask them for any food But when I'm hungry, they still don't allow me to ask them for anything They don't even allow me to ask them for food How do you expect me to tell you that I'm hungry - without - Yeah without you letting me ask And then if I ask them, then I don't eat anything Even if I haven't done anything I still don't get nothing to eat She has a... I, I I, I have a little thing, but she told me she has a sugar issue - Oh - So I don't wanna give her you know just anything I, I do have one of those, uh almond You know that, like the ones from the hospital? I have one of tho... Like... The cashew bar, right? Yeah, but she says she has a sugar issue, so Do you want some water first? Huh? I need food I know But do you wanna drink some water first? We just have to make sure Well, here's the rescue Yeah, I didn't want to give her that Cuz I don't, I don't know Hey, how's it going? What's going on? Uh, apparently, she was she said, she was got punched by her uncle, like just on the left side Help me Okay Where did you get hit, dear? Can you talk to me and tell me where you got hit? You got a deep cut on the temperal area I thinks she's bleeding right here It's Okay, It's Okay Just stay, stay still, okay? Just stay still Thank you I'm sorry, sir Help me Okay It's not her house But we're, we're I'm sorry, we're just helping her It Um I guess she, she's saying that the uncle punched her (Unintelligible) was this morning at 7:00 AM She's adopted and pretty much been treated poorly So She’s been crying all this time she, she's begging me for food I do have like those snicker things but I didn't give her anything cuz she told me she has a sugar issue Okay, so if anything at that... cuz we're gonna have her go to the hospital Okay, (unintelligible) (Unintelligible) Who else lives here? Just the uncle? - The Aunt? - Uncle stepmom stepmom's dad I saw a young girl walk in there Wait, a step... Her stepmom? Yeah, cuz she says she's adopted So what she says, my step... Step-Aunt Mm-hmm (Unintelligible) she's trying to say stepmom So Okay, and who has... Do you know who has, uh... Like, the uncle just lives here he doesn't have custody over her? is that... - Yeah, yeah, we, we - Yeah, we figure that out we only spoke to her but she's hysterical, so Mm-hmm We didn't get to, like... Them yet So All right I'm just gonna... (Unintelligible) Who's that in orange? Oh, he lives in this house He just, he just, happened to come here because of the shade But he lives in this house, he's nobody Okay, did he witness anything? No, no, no, he just came outside cuz he saw us here Okay - So - All right All right, so, all right I'm just gonna get the case number from the car Is she on the spectrum? What do you mean? Is she, like, autistic Yes, they did mentioned that she’s, uh, ADHD - Uh - Right, okay I think it... I think It's autism You got a light? Are you guys transporting or she's staying here? Yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna take her to a Coral Springs Um She says she hasn't eaten since 7:00 AM Okay Um Cuz, you know, that's what they do I guess that's what they do They haven't, they haven't fed her She said she does have a sugar issue - I'm gonna take your blood sugar, okay? - Okay That she's... She gets hyper so they don't give her sugar Cuz I have, like, I have one... hospital a little... You know what I’m talking about… almond thing But I was like I'll get her food - when we get there - Yeah I’ll let them know - Yeah, I mean - (Unintelligible) - Going to the hospital, okay? - Just in case she gets a reaction But she's definitely saying that she hasn't had any food - Yeah, well, definitely - But just out of caution, I was like, ah.... (Unintelligible) And I want to, but I... - Good job, good job - I know it's better not to I know Yeah Her vital signs are all good So, um they'll probably run some x-rays stuff like that What we're gonna do is when we have him come out, we're gonna sit him we're gonna take a statement separately from everyone else And then we'll, uh, just cuff him and put him in a car until Untill everything settled down Yeah, I mean Yeah, I... - Yeah, they, uh, they're gonna take... - What are you saying? No, they're gonna take her to, um What (unintelligible)? (Unintelligible) Coral Springs in there They're gonna... They're gonna give her food over there, I didn't want... Yeah, no, cuz you don't... Yeah, I didn't want to give her anything I did, I did, but I... I did - I did, I really, cuz she was begging us - So... I, I, It was bad - You never know, she might be allergic - No, yeah, I mean she starts, she starts... Something happens So his name’s, uh, Benjamin Benjamin? Okay I think I think that's the one I think she said that was, he was the one that was there Huh? You mean the one that hit her? Or the one that... Yeah She said Benjamin? Officers now had the teen's account but one important piece remained Benjamin had yet to explain what happened Just, um, right away Yo (Unintelligible) Go, go around (unintelligible) - Hey - Hey, how's it going? We just need, um, statements - Okay - before we wrap it up, um can we, uh, we'll do Is it the uncle? Yeah - Okay, yeah - (Unintelligible) Yeah, okay We're gonna take her statement over there, and then we'll... - Okay - Are you Benjamin? Yes, sir Yeah, she got the kids Yes, no problem - Go ahead - All right Dad, I'm gonna call you back I'm gonna get off the phone I'm gonna call you right back - Uh, yeah - You have your ID with you? Uh, yeah So I'm just gonna ask you what, what happened today? I was working You know, I'm stressing for overtime I was working for my wife She's homeschooled, but she got kicked out of, uh Um Margate Elementary school You know, standing in line... Actually, this is yours, right? Yeah - So, as I'm - So I'm not talking Go ahead So, um my wife called me, like she was... I guess it's Just put, just put - your hands behind your back - Hold on, just cuz We'll tell you what we have and then... (Unintelligible) So, go ahead I'm going to jail? - We are detaining you right now - (Unintelligible) just saying, but, um - Uh, no proble... - But I wanna hear what, what happened Not a problem Um, so my wife called, which You know, that's my (Unintelligible) Mm-hmm So, she called, and she said that, um you know, Pearl was taking stuff out of her house But I'm like, "Okay", like, "What was it?" You know, so, she would like the the eldeberry vitamins which she get them every month - You know, after COVID or whatever - Okay we always have them So, I'm like, okay, that's stuff she's not supposed to have because she's ADD ADHD you know, and she's not supposed to have that stuff So when she, um, so, I'm like "Okay, I'm cool now" I was doing a property I was doing a property at Coral Springs Okay So um, I was like, well, let me finish my property And I'd be, you know, I'd be coming on my way home So, when I came home that's when my wife was like she typed in the, uh she typed in the phone or whatever Okay You know, so, I'm like, okay, why would she, you know, why did she do that? You know, so, I guess she was trying to (unintelligible), which is like the third time she did this Right So, I'm like "Pearl, why would you do that?" You know, so, she was like "Oh because you know, I don't wanna be on punishment" But I said , "In life", I said "There's always consequences" - All right - (Unintelligible) Did you, did yo... Did anyone... Did sh... She got a mark here on her head Did she get hit or anything - accidentally or... - She got... I know she f... I know she, I know she fell going to the bathroom Okay That much I do know Um, cuz I was sitting on the couch Yeah, I can hear you go ahead I was sitting, I was sit... I was sit... I was sitting on the sofa Alright have a seat in there bro (Unintelligible) another way? At least you're in the shade (Unintelligible) Man, I work in this (unintelligible) - Is this change? - it might be my my blade that I cut my (unintelligible) I'm not sure if it's in my pocket or not (Unintelligible) But if it is, it's closed It's like a closed blade that I have to open to use it She has, she has my phone too, right? (Unintelligible) She might (unintelligible) She got my phone? Okay Yeah, we gave her your wallet gave her your keys Okay It's all in camera, man don't worry about it Nah, I just... (Unintelligible) Cool All right, man Uh, just, just just Put them on belt box That'll be easier Huh? My cuffs, put them on belt box Sure Yeah, I'll get him in the morning What am I gonna do? Who am I gonna handcuff right now? Hey, you never know, man Benjamin was in custody But, his recorded jail calls kept the investigation moving By October 25th, detectives had shifted their focus to Latricia All right How can they rob me? It's the police We're not gonna rob you But we are... You are gonna come with us for (unintelligible) kidnapping I'm going to jail too? Yeah Oh Well, I'm not gonna... I got my babies in the house Oh my God, What the... (Unintelligible) Hmm? Why am I going to jail for? Uh We'll talk to you at the station in a little bit more Not out in the open... Detective Jimenez, she's gonna pat you down for any weapons or anything - like that, okay? - Put your hands behind your back please I'm fat Can I put my - hands in the front? - Yeah - Cuz I (unintelligible) - Well, we'll get you... (Unintelligible) I got a heart problem Okay We're gonna give you two pairs of cuffs Lean forward for me And I have anxiety really bad Well, don't get anxious I am anxious now Can I take my medicine before I go? I can't give you any medicine Okay, well, I'm gonna have to go to the hospital Can you put your other hand behind you? Well, I'm gonna explain it all to you, and we're gonna talk with you a little bit more Sherry, te... Hey, I mean, Trey Go on my phone text Jerry, my lawyer and let him know what's going on Text him right now During later interviews, it was discovered that the abuse had been going on for over 10 years The teen told officers she had been kicked, had boiled water thrown on her, and was struck with a hammer on her toes, among other horrific findings. Officials observed permanent markings on the teen's body due to the abuse. Investigators also found a locking mechanism on the closet and blood on the floor within the home, corroborating what the teen had told officers on scene. She later said she would sometimes be locked in the closet, tied with zip ties, and left with a bucket for a bathroom. Benjamin was transported to the Broward Sheriff's Office Main Jail following his October 24th arrest After her arrest the next day Latricia, was taken to the Margate Police Department for processing before ultimately being transported to the same jail The teenager was placed into protective custody while the cases against Benjamin and Latricia moved forward For Margate Police, the investigation was ultimately listed as cleared by arrest