Foster dad accused of sexual abuse

Tonight on Fox 10 Investigates, an Arizona man in federal custody accused of sexually abusing a minor. But as our team has uncovered, this isn't the suspect's first run-in with the law. We've discovered history with Child Protective Services across Arizona and Florida, including child abuse charges that were dropped last year. Fox 10 Investigator Justin Lum joins us live with what he's learned through court documents. First, a warning for our viewers. The details in this case are disturbing. We obtained the FBI's probable cause statement, alleging that Brian Griffith sexually abused his foster daughter and recorded videos of her. The victim says the abuse started when she was 13. She's now 18, but was removed from the Griffith family's custody a little more than a year ago. In July 2025, Florida deputies and state child welfare workers responded to the home of Brian and Jill Griffith. The mission involved a court order to take nine minor children into protective custody. What triggered the investigation was an incident at a camp held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where one of the children was caught with a taser. A camp staff member tipped off the Department of Children and Families, saying the Griffiths had recently moved to Florida from Arizona. The witness outlined concerns to DCF, alleging that the family primarily adopted or fostered African-American children who did not get a proper education and were treated like workers instead of family. Deputies say some kids didn't know their last name or birth dates. While nine kids were taken into custody, authorities could not find one missing child who was eventually located safely here in Glendale. The allegations of child abuse included claims that a 14-year-old boy was caged under a bunk bed, and that Jill sprayed two kids in the face with vinegar. Brian, Jill, and their adult kids, Dolan and Liberty Griffith, were arrested, charged with child abuse. Ultimately, the state attorney declined to prosecute the case, saying initial salacious gossip concerning the children being treated as slaves or incidents of alleged sexual abuse were unfounded. State attorney John Durrett said there was a series of blame shifting and finger pointing by DCF employees throughout depositions. Durrett could not interview, but told Fox 10 over the phone that the evidence for aggravated child abuse was weak, and Arizona's Department of Child Safety was radio silent when asked for any information that could be provided on the Griffith family. But as those charges were dropped, FBI Jacksonville was investigating Brian Griffith. He was arrested just last month in Arizona, accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sexual activity. The alleged victim was his foster child, who told investigators she had been abused since she was 13, when she first lived with the Griffiths in Florence, up until she was removed from their Florida home in July 2025. According to the probable cause Brian used his iPad to record the girl listed as Jane Doe doing sexual acts. Jane Doe told investigators that the abuse usually happened on Wednesday nights, when her foster mom took her kids to church and after Brian put the remaining kids to bed. Jane Doe also revealed that Brian allegedly snuck her out of her bathroom window and walked her around the house to his room to avoid cameras and lights. Jane Doe said she was instructed to make several videos and was too scared of Brian to refuse. Every child that's in DCS custody is vulnerable. Stacey Southerland with the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network says kids in foster care consistently struggle with trauma and that the FBI's involvement in this case indicates a serious situation. Any potential recordings of children under the age of 18 that are sexual in nature can be considered CSAM, which is child sexual abuse material, and that's a very, very serious exploitation crime regarding children. Back in July, Jane Doe says a TikTok account named Lainey264ever messaged her asking if she was mad and later said, quote, my life is trash, I want to end on a happy note, nothing I say will fix anything, I just want to know you'll be happy, end quote. Jane Doe initially didn't know who messaged her but later responded, quote, I honestly feel bad for all those kids I sit here crying and thinking about, if they're okay or not, how do you think that's okay? You're supposed to be their dad. In the last message, the TikTok account says, quote, life is hell, everything sucks for me, I know I deserve it, not looking for pity, that's just the facts, I'm in hell and I deserve it, end quote. After Brian's arrest, he denied child porn activity and contacting anyone in Florida using TikTok. Brian's son told authorities he believes the family moved to Florida after Arizona DCS contacted Brian and Jill after learning the son was living in the backyard shed. The Griffiths sold the home in January 2024 and court records show that Brian's son believed they moved to avoid the DCS scrutiny. Arizona's Department of Child Safety declined to comment about the Griffiths, citing confidentiality laws. We need to start believing kids. We need to believe kids when they outcry. We shouldn't minimize their experience. Sometimes it's just like, thank you for sharing or I believe you. Brian Griffith is currently in federal custody. His next hearing is set for September 11th and of course we have reached out to his defense attorney assigned to this case. We have not heard back yet. How was DCS here in Arizona first contacted about this family? What were they accused of? This is interesting because we want to know what exactly were the red flags. According to court documents, the FBI was told by Brian Griffith's son that he was allegedly living in a backyard shed and he told the neighbor, you know, it was obvious that he was struggling, didn't have food. So it may have been this very neighbor that tipped off DCS when DCS tried to make contact with the parents. That's when they began the process of moving to Florida. So there was really no trace. And like you heard in that report, the state attorney in Florida wanted to see what was happening in Arizona to maybe help build a case that was eventually dropped. There was no clear indication of a communication between Arizona and Florida and that's where the big gap is. We need foster families desperately, but how much concern that this is more widespread than we would have ever thought? Oh, there's a big concern and it seems like there were issues within DCF, Florida's child welfare system, in regards to this case that ended up being dropped. And this was also a rural area near Jacksonville. They're kind of in the middle of nowhere. You can look at the difference between the home in Florida and the one in Florence. It's unknown how much visitation there was to these foster kids, these adoptive children, and really if it weren't for this church camp staff member to tip off investigators, we may not even have known about this family being arrested in the first place. Is the screening robust enough for foster families? You know, that's a good question, John, and I wish we knew more about the reform process going on across the states, but we know we've covered several stories of tragedies here within Arizona's child welfare system. There has to be improvement across the board. Yeah, thank you. Just among tonight.