TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- A Brevard County couple is willing to abandon their own child because they are afraid of him. The parents said the 13-year-old boy has violent outbursts and has even threatened to kill them. It's to the point that the father is facing criminal charges because he won't take his own son home.

The Dills said their house is not a place of refuge. Instead, they live in a state of fear and they're at their wits' end. Thomas Dills and his wife Bunny said they've run out of options to help 13-year-old Joseph.

"He's killed animals. This child needs help and we can't seem to get anyone to listen to us," said Bunny Dills, the boy's stepmother. "Until they can get him help, [I don't want him here]."

Over the years, Joseph's unpredictable violent behavior has gotten worse, his parents say. He's been charged with assault twice, the first time when he was just nine years old after he lashed out at a teacher. Last spring, Joseph spent five and a half months at a residential mental health center until the insurance money ran out. He remains on a number of medications to stabilize his moods, but he still has violent tantrums.

In October, Joseph told a court-ordered psychologist he was planning to kill his parents and 15-year-old brother and described specific plans. A letter recommended "Joseph Dills not be allowed back into his home."

Joseph's family fears for their safety to the point where they've installed an alarm on his bedroom door.

"He's attacked daycare workers, he's attacked other kids on the school bus," Bunny said. "So it's not just limited with the family now."

An outburst Sunday forced the Dills to call the police to calm their son. As they have numerous times in the past, they brought Joseph to a community mental health center where the maximum stay is supposed to be just a few days.

After five days, Joseph's father was supposed to pick him up, but he said he feared for his family's safety more than his son's welfare. Friday morning, Thomas Dills was ordered to court where he was charged with child abandonment.

Thomas Dills is due back in court in early December. Joseph will remain with the Department of Families and Children for an undetermined stay.

Eyewitness News talked to DCF about the case and learned parents in such situations don't have many options. The state has out-patient programs, but they're only temporary. In the most severe cases, parents can give up their rights, but they have to go through a long legal process to get to that point.