El Dorado County woman accused of abusing and torturing adopted daughters

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A 63-year old Placerville woman is behind bars tonight after being arrested on charges she brutally abused her four adopted daughters for years.

Patricia Taylor was an adoptive parent of four juvenile females who had lived in her residence from young ages and are now between the ages of 11-16. Taylor had fostered and adopted several other children in the past who have since become adults and moved out of her home.

The case began in April 2019 when the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO) began an investigation into child abuse allegations regarding Taylor. Her 14-year-old adoptive daughter ran away from Taylor's home to one of her older sister's residences. She was in fear of receiving punishment from Taylor according to EDSO.

At her sister's she proceeded to disclose years of prior abuse. Law enforcement and El Dorado County Child Protective Services were contacted to begin an investigation on the case. Further interviews with Taylor’s adopted daughters revealed allegations of years of child abuse, torture, false imprisonment, as well as lewd and lascivious behavior at the hands of Taylor.

Taylor was arrested on May 10 on the following charges:

- Torture
- Five counts of child abuse likely to cause serious injury or death
- Three counts of false imprisonment
- Two counts of willful cruelty to a child
- One count of lewd and lascivious conduct of a child under the age of fourteen.

She is being held at the El Dorado County Jail on $1,445,000 bail. The children in this case are all safe and are in protective custody.