Four children, ages 14, 13, 12, and 9, were beaten, imprisoned, starved, and medically neglected by their father, Raymond Daniel Thurmond, and their mother, Ida Thurmond. (The two oldest children were Raymond’s from a previous marriage; the 12-year-old was Ida’s from a previous marriage; and the youngest child was their biological child.) Though Ida claimed to be homeschooling the children, investigators found no evidence of this and the children were not registered with their school district. Only the oldest child had ever been to school, and he had been withdrawn in second grade.
The children had been kept imprisoned since August 2005 in a filthy trailer with padlocks on the front door and the bedroom doors. In the three years they were held prisoner, the children were only allowed out of the trailer once. They were beaten with a steel-toed boot and were deprived of food. When they were rescued, they were undernourished and underweight. One of the children had a serious medical condition that had not been treated. Originally police believed Raymond had sexually assaulted Ida, who claimed to have been a prisoner also; however, later evidence led to the finding that Ida was involved in the child abuse.
The abuse came to light when Raymond told Ida he was leaving her for another woman and she took the children to a domestic violence shelter. An employee at the shelter called the police, who arrested Raymond in August 2008. In December 2008, Ida lost custody of all four children, and she was arrested for her part in the abuse in October 2009. Both Raymond and Ida were charged with child cruelty and false imprisonment. Raymond pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served.
Date: August 4, 2008
Location: Lavonia, Georgia Read More
Posted: February 9, 2015 by clmccracken
7 Children of Sonia Kubisak
Seven children, ages 7 to 17, were neglected by their mother, Sonia Kubisak, who claimed to be homeschooling them.
In March 2014, Kubisak moved the children to a campsite in Oklahoma, reportedly to escape an abusive relationship in Pennsylvania. Kubisak starved the children and medicated them with cattle wormer and flea treatment. When the children were rescued in August, the campsite was covered with human feces and rotting animal feed.
After they were rescued, the children were diagnosed with “multiple illnesses closely associated with neglect and malnutrition.” Kubisak was charged with seven counts of neglect.
Date: August 1, 2014
Location: Albion, Pushmataha County, Oklahoma Read More
Last Updated: July 3, 2021 by clmccracken
Stacy and Jeremy Beckman
Stacy Beckman, age 10, and Jeremy Beckman, age 8, were imprisoned, starved, and physically and sexually abused by their foster parents, Shane and Judy Huxoll. The children had been pulled from school to be homeschooled, which “mostly consisted of crossword puzzles, math problems and learning how to tell time…Every wrong answer resulted in a beating from Shane.”
Stacy and Jeremy were removed from the home of their neglectful birth mother, Cindy Beckman, when Stacy was 4 years old. The Huxolls cared for the children at first, but the situation soon escalated into an abusive one. The Huxolls “kept [Stacy] locked in her bedroom without blankets or clothing, beat her almost daily with a leather belt, kicked her in the face, pulled her hair out and did not feed her for up to 48 hours at a time.” She was also raped by Shane Huxoll. Stacy weighed 51 lbs. when she was rescued.
When Stacy discovered her brother was receiving similar treatment, she escaped from her prison through a hole in the rotted floor. She was found by a neighbor, who called the police. The Huxolls were each charged with child abuse causing serous bodily injury. They made a plea deal and were sentenced to four years in prison.
Date: April 1995
Location: Greeley, Colorado Read More
Posted: February 2, 2015 by clmccracken
Thomas Elberling
Thomas Elberling, age 11, was shot to death by his father, Jens Elberling, who then committed suicide. Thomas had been homeschooled for the past two years.
Thomas was recognized internationally as a chess champion and was ranked fifth in his age group in the US. Jens Elberling and Thomas’s mother, Kate Chou, filed for divorce in May 2014 and were fighting for custody of Thomas because they disagreed about his education—Elberling believed Thomas should continue to be homeschooled, while Chou disagreed, “stating in court papers her son had repeatedly asked to attend a public school.” Chou was preparing to enroll Thomas in a public school for the fall when he was murdered.
Date: September 6, 2014
Location: Scotch Plains, New Jersey Read More
Posted: January 26, 2015 by clmccracken
Granddaughter of Steve and Joetta Sells
A 15-year-old girl was beaten, imprisoned, and nearly starved to death by her grandfather, Steve Sells, his wife Joetta Sells, and Steve’s daughter Crystal Sells. The girl, who had special needs, was withdrawn from school in 2010 to be homeschooled. The girl’s 4-year-old sibling was not reported to be abused.
Steve Sells got custody of the girl and her sibling in 2009 when their biological mother Jannifer Sells abandoned them. The girl was kept in a locked room day and night with only a mattress and a bucket to relieve herself. When she was rescued she weighed 38 pounds, she was covered with feces, and her bones protruded through her skin.
The abuse came to light when Joetta and Crystal Sells found her unresponsive and waited 3 hours before calling an ambulance. Steve, Joetta, and Crystal were each charged with multiple felonies, including neglect of a dependent, criminal confinement, and battery.
Date: December 1, 2014
Location: Anderson, Indiana Read More
Posted: January 26, 2015 by clmccracken
3 Children of Jaileen Soliman
Three children, ages 10, 7 and 1, were neglected and deprived of food by their mother, Jaileen Lorraine Soliman. The two older children had been homeschooled for the past two months after the 7-year-old girl was suspended for a week and Soliman chose to withdraw them both.
The children were deprived of meals if they did not do their chores. The home was filled with pet feces and one of the children was covered in insect bites when they were rescued. The abuse came to light when police went to the home in response to a complaint. The children were removed from the home and Soliman was charged with child neglect.
Date: November 14, 2007
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Read More
Posted: January 26, 2015 by clmccracken
Son of Charles Wingate and Sharon Starkey
A 13-year-old autistic boy was imprisoned in a filthy home by his parents, Charles E. Wingate and Sharon Starkey. Wingate was a former City Council member and Starkey was an employee at a United Methodist child care facility. The boy was homeschooled online and told police he did not remember ever going outside.
The abuse came to light after a concerned neighbor called the police, who found the boy home alone. He was naked and the house was covered with feces and living and dead rodents. It was immediately condemned by the city. The boy was taken into custody by the state and Wingate and Starkey were charged with child neglect.
Date: May 16, 2013
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Read More
Posted: January 26, 2015 by clmccracken
4 Children of Raymond and Ida Thurmond
Four children, ages 14, 13, 12, and 9, were beaten, imprisoned, starved, and medically neglected by their father, Raymond Daniel Thurmond, and their mother, Ida Thurmond. (The two oldest children were Raymond’s from a previous marriage; the 12-year-old was Ida’s from a previous marriage; and the youngest child was their biological child.) Though Ida claimed to be homeschooling the children, investigators found no evidence of this and the children were not registered with their school district. Only the oldest child had ever been to school, and he had been withdrawn in second grade.
The children had been kept imprisoned since August 2005 in a filthy trailer with padlocks on the front door and the bedroom doors. In the three years they were held prisoner, the children were only allowed out of the trailer once. They were beaten with a steel-toed boot and were deprived of food. When they were rescued, they were undernourished and underweight. One of the children had a serious medical condition that had not been treated. Originally police believed Raymond had sexually assaulted Ida, who claimed to have been a prisoner also; however, later evidence led to the finding that Ida was involved in the child abuse.
The abuse came to light when Raymond told Ida he was leaving her for another woman and she took the children to a domestic violence shelter. An employee at the shelter called the police, who arrested Raymond in August 2008. In December 2008, Ida lost custody of all four children, and she was arrested for her part in the abuse in October 2009. Both Raymond and Ida were charged with child cruelty and false imprisonment. Raymond pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served.
Date: August 4, 2008
Location: Lavonia, Georgia Read More
Posted: January 20, 2015 by clmccracken
Children of Christine Baughman
An 11-year-old boy was physically and emotionally abused by his adoptive mother, Christine Evelyn Baughman. The boy’s adoptive father, pediatrician Henry Baughman, has not been charged. The boy and his brother were adopted from Ukraine in 2013. The Baughmans’ four children were homeschooled, according to Christine Baughman’s Pinterest profile.
The abuse, which included beatings with a belt, came to light after an anonymous tip brought child services to the home for a welfare check on November 22. Officials then arranged an interview with the boy, who disclosed the abuse. Baughman was charged with cruelty to children.
Date: November 25, 2014
Location: Ringgold, Georgia Read More
Last Updated: July 3, 2021 by rachel
Shane Alan Coffman and 5 Siblings
The body of eight-year-old Shane Alan Coffman was discovered in a freezer in a trailer home in February 1996. His five siblings, ages seven to twelve, were taken into productive custody. All of the children had been abused, and two were so malnourished they had to be hospitalized. Authorities believe Shane died due to excessive discipline at the hands of his mother, Bertha Jean Coffman, and her boyfriend, Donald Lee Gilson, in August 1995. The children had been taken into foster care briefly two years before, but were returned to Coffman after she met certain requirements. Coffman and her children moved into Gilson’s trailer in June 1995.
The pastor at the church where the children had attended Sunday school reported that he had frequently fed the children at church, and that he had called social services with his concerns on several occasions. However, when Coffman moved in with Gilson the children were no longer allowed to attend church. The school district reported that the children had been withdrawn from school off and on, but that at the beginning of the school year the mother had sent a letter reporting her intent to homecshool. “It raised a red flag for us,” the district’s spokesperson admitted. “But we can’t police home-school.”
Gilson admitted in court that he killed Shane by beating him with a board on August 17, 1995. Gilson was given the death penalty and was executed in 2009. Coffman was sentenced to life in prison.
Date: February 18, 1996
Location: Little Axe, Oklahoma Read More
Posted: January 13, 2015 by clmccracken
10 Children of Dave and Wonda Dixon
Ten special-needs children—six boys ages 14, 14, 12, 8, 8 and 3; and four girls ages 12, 10, 5 and 5—were physically abused by their adoptive parents, Dave and Wonda Dixon. They were beaten with paddles, switches, and a water hose. The 12-year-old girl was singled out for abuse and was starved and deprived of medical care; her parents urged her siblings to hit her. After teachers reported her emaciated appearance to child services, the Dixons removed her from school to homeschool her.
The abuse came to light when a child services investigator saw the girl in August 2013 and ordered her hospitalization. She weighed 57 lbs. when she was rescued. The Dixons were indicted that October on charges of injury to a child and imprisoned. The children were removed to foster homes.
Date: August 21, 2013
Location: Lubbock, Texas Read More
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