Pastor's son accused of holding 4 adults captive in his basement

A man in South Carolina, accused of holding four adults in captivity in his basement for a decade and stealing their money, faces a multitude of charges.

35-year-old Donnie Ray Birchfield was arrested on Aug. 1 after Lancaster police responded to a report of an unattended death, according to the incident report.

The report states that the death occurred in July and does not identify the victim's name or age, describing the victim as a "vulnerable adult."

The charges include four counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult, four counts of false imprisonment, two counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult, two counts of domestic violence and financial charges, online jail records show. Birchfield is being held on $150,000 bond.

His father is Donnie Birchfield, a pastor at the Friendship Baptist Church in Lancaster.

During an investigation, detectives learned that the 35-year-old was allegedly caring for several people in his basement and using their funds, the police said. The incident report alleges that Birchfield withheld at least two bank accounts from the adults, along with the account number of one victim.

Authorities further allege that he used the money to "purchase services for himself." He would also physically harm the victims, decide if they can use the restroom and control their phones, police alleged.

The investigation started when a woman died at Birchfield's home in Lancaster, about 50 miles from the Charlotte metropolitan area. The woman was also reportedly denied food and medical care. The woman had died a day earlier, as per law enforcement authorities.

When police responded to the report, they found evidence that the deceased has been physically abused. They also found others in the basement including the dead woman's husband and two women who were involved with Birchfield, according to the police.

It is unknown how Birchfield knew the couple.

Birchfield allegedly paid off multiple credit cards using more than $11,800 from the couple's bank account and also used their credit and debit cards to pay for at least $2,000 in Walmart purchases, the police claim.