A Gainesville man has been arrested for sex crimes involving his adopted daughter when she was underage. He also forced her to marry him and they now have seven children together. Seventy-one-year-old Edward Allen Britt is being held in the Douglas County Jail without bond on four felony charges. The victim, whom Britt adopted when she was a child, told law enforcement Britt “has controlled and manipulated her for her entire life.”
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which was asked to investigate the case by the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office, another family member, who was also a victim of sexual abuse by Britt, came forward to the sheriff’s office to report the abuse. During the investigation, it was learned there were a total of four victims.
The reporting party told investigators the victim was raped by Britt and gave birth in 2000 at the age of 16. She says the family told everyone the victim was impregnated by an over the road trucker. The reporting party says Britt was aware she knew the truth and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. She says she told Britt’s wife, but nothing was done.
In 2003, Britt divorced his wife, and he and the victim and the child moved to Mountain Home.
The reporting party provided investigators with a marriage certificate from Faulkner County showing Britt and the victim were married in 2008.
Investigators tracked Britt to a town in Mississippi, but learned he had since moved back to Gainesville. They obtained search warrants to collect DNA samples from Britt and the victim.
When they were at the house, investigators talked to the victim who said she and Britt began having sex when she was 15 and she got pregnant when she was 16. She said she never said anything because Britt would get mad and she was scared. She said they have seven children together and none of them know the truth. She also told the investigator Britt “has controlled and manipulated her for her entire life.” The investigator advised her to call if she feels unsafe.
Two days later the victim called the investigator and said the sexual abuse by Britt had started when she was ten. Sometimes it would involve other family members. She said there used to be videos of the abuse.
During an in person interview, the victim told investigators she, Britt and the children had moved around to avoid getting caught by law enforcement. They lived in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi, but everywhere they went, they were questioned about their relationship and the children by law enforcement and department of children’s services.
After Britt was taken into custody, he corroborated the victim’s statements about when the abuse started and the details about what happened.
Britt is facing felony charges of rape, sodomy, second degree statutory sodomy and incest.
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