Ohio Parents Plead Guilty After Video Reveals Abuse of Five Adopted Boys 'Worse Than Prisoners of War'

"The videos of these undernourished and naked children huddled together in a locked basement room, lying on the stone-cold floor like a pile of puppies trying to keep warm, are nothing short of gut-wrenching."

A couple out of Batavia, Ohio managed to avoid a possible life sentence by pleading guilty to multiple charges of child abuse of their five adopted boys, four with special needs, including keeping them in what was described by prosecutors as a basement "dungeon."

Charles Edmonson, 64, and wife Matthew Edmonson, 50, both pleaded guilty on December 27 to multiple charges related to child abuse. In doing so, nearly 100 additional charges were dropped, as noted by CrimeOnline.

NBC

Matthew pled guilty to five counts of child endangerment, with 44 other charges dismissed as part of her plea deal. Charles pled guilty to three counts of child endangerment, one count of felonious assault and one count of kidnapping, per CourtTV, leading to the dismissal of 48 additional charges, as well as a possible life sentence.

Matthew was sentenced to 13 years in prison while her husband received 15 years. The couples' biological son Bailey Edmonson was also sentenced Friday, receiving two years probation after he pled guilty to three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.

Charles is already serving a three-year sentence for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a different adopted son, who was an adult at the time of the alleged assaults but had purportedly been groomed from a young age, according to local NBC affiliate WLWT.

It was in the course of his arrest for that crime that police uncovered multiple videos that revealed the abuse of their five adopted brothers. The boys were siblings when the Edmonson's first fostered them before adopting them.

"The videos of these undernourished and naked children huddled up in a locked room in the basement, on the stone-cold basement floor like a pile of puppies trying to stay together to keep warm, are nothing short of gut-wrenching," said Clermont County prosecuting attorney Mark J. Tekulve. "These two are unfit to be parents, and I am grateful to those who have worked tirelessly to make sure they will not be."

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

According to prosecutors, the boys had each been hospitalized multiple times for various issues including bruises, bleach burns, internal bleeding, and "failure to thrive." In each case, parents offered excuses for their children's situations.

The children are now living in a new home, with Tekulva saying they are thriving in their new environment, per The Daily Mail, adding, "The monstrous acts they were subjected to will no longer be a barrier to their development."

"While they will likely need mental health intervention the rest of their lives, physically and emotionally, they are flourishing," he said in court.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.