The family of an Illinois teenager with special needs who was bound, gagged, and beaten in an attack that sickened people around the country spoke about the brutal torture their loved one endured, saying the attack “should never have happened.”

Concerned Americans can only imagine what this family is feeling in these first few days after the attack made headlines around the globe.

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“We’re so grateful for all the prayers and efforts that led to the safe return of our brother,” said the victim’s brother-in-law, David Boyd, speaking for the family. “We’re fully aware of the charges being brought against the offenders. At this time we ask for continued prayers for all those involved and for our family’s privacy as we cope and heal.”

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He also said the family was “overwhelmed” by the support on social media.

The family has seen the heartbreaking video of the brutal beating of their loved one. Boyd said only that they are “happy he’s home. He’s doing well, as well as he could be.”

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The victim, who is not being identified but is reportedly from Crystal Lake, Illinois, is an 18-year-old with “mental health challenges,” according to police. A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the teen and his family had more than $34,700 in donations by Friday morning, reported NBC News.

Thirty minutes of the brutal hate crime were streamed live on Facebook, but authorities said it was a six-hour ordeal, said NBC. The victim was beaten, kicked, cut and forced to drink from a toilet, as well as forced to denounce President-Elect Donald Trump and endure laughter and taunts.

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“The actions in that video are reprehensible. That along with racism have absolutely no place in the city of Chicago or anywhere else for that matter, against anyone regardless of their race, gender, state of mental health or any other identifying factor,” Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Thursday at a news conference.

The attackers are expected to appear in court Friday afternoon.