The adoptive parents of a teenager missing from her home for years have received prison sentences from a federal judge who also scolded them for the girl 's treatment . U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder in Winston-Salem , North Carolina , on Friday sentenced Casey Parsons to 10 years in prison for tax fraud . Her husband , Sandy , received an eight-year sentence . Erica Parsons , the couple 's niece , lived with the family until she disappeared in 2011 at age 13 . She was n't reported missing until 2013 when her 20-year-old adoptive brother informed authorities of his sister 's absence after getting into a fight with his parents . Scroll down for video . U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder in Winston-Salem , North Carolina , on Friday sentenced Casey Parsons ( right ) to 10 years in prison for tax fraud . Her husband , Sandy , received an eight-year sentence . Schroeder said that , after sentencing more than 1,000 people , he has never been more troubled by a case . Last month , the judge delayed the sentencing after a hearing revealed the conditions under which Erica Parsons lived before her disappearance . Prosecutors said the couple routinely abused the girl and continued to collect benefits after she disappeared . Casey and Sandy Parsons collected benefits for their adopted niece after her disappearance , including a $ 634 monthly check for adoption assistance . Additionally , prosecutors say the Parsons lied on their income tax returns by using different identities to make up false dependents . According to the indictment , Erica was home-schooled , had hearing problems and learning disability . The Parsons continue to claim that they sent Erica to live with her 'Nan ' , though the girl 's biological mother says no such grandparent exists . The missing teen 's biological mother Carolyn Parsons spoke out against the couple 's claims , saying she will not give up looking for her daughter , who is now 15 . Video from WSOC-TV . Gone : Erica Parsons was 13 years old when she was last seen in November 2011 . However she was n't reported missing until July 2013 . A picture of a younger Erica on the left , while on the right an age-progressed image shows about what she would look like now . She also said she had not wanted to hand her daughter over to her in-laws , but felt she had to because she was unable to bring up the child properly . 'No mother wants to have children and just give them up , ' she said . ' I did n't want to . She did n't deserve the life that I had . ' Carolyn says she has not seen Erica since January 2011 , 10 months before she went missing . A polygraph test carried out on Sandy Parsons was found to be 'strongly deceptive ' when he described how he had nothing to do with her disappearance .
Erica Parsons was sentenced to ten years in prison for tax fraud . Her husband , Sandy , received an eight-year sentence . Casey Parsons , the couple 's niece , lived with the family until she disappeared in 2011 at age 13 . She was n't reported missing until 2013 when her 20-year-old adoptive brother informed authorities of his sister 's absence . The Parsons continue to claim that they sent Erica to live with her 'Nan ' - though the girl 's biological mother says no such grandparent exists .