On December 16, 2024, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Mr. and Mrs. Rachel in connection with a case of child abuse that occurred earlier this month. Detectives launched an investigation on December 11 after being alerted by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and law enforcement to an incident that took place on December 7 at a home in Kissimmee.
The investigation revealed that the suspect, Mr. Rachel, became angry over a lost couch cushion and accused the victim of lying about it. Over the course of 28 minutes, Mr. Rachel subjected the child to abuse, including striking the victim over 50 times with a belt, choking the child, and hurling obscenities and disparaging remarks. At one point, Mr. Rachel threatened to break the child’s jaw. Portions of this violent episode were captured on in-home surveillance footage.
On December 16, Mr. Rachel was interviewed by detectives and admitted to the abuse. Authorities also arrested Kimberly Rachel, his wife, for failing to report the known abuse, despite her legal obligation to do so…