Trenay Duchane, age 12, died after being punched to unconsciousness, beaten with an electrical cord and a broomstick, and scalded to death by her stepmother, Reiko Troupe, as punishment for not cleaning her room. Her 9-year-old sister Treshae was also beaten and burned in an attempt to save Trenay. The girls’ father, Jeffrey Duchane Jr., allowed Trenay’s body to remain in their apartment for four days, eventually calling the police because Trenay’s body was beginning to smell.
CPS investigated the Duchanes in summer 2006 when Troupe gave birth to a baby girl who showed signs of drug exposure. The family was being monitored by CPS until November, when they moved away to escape scrutiny. According to Treshae, this is when Duchane and Troupe began to abuse the two girls, beating them with a knotted electrical cord or a fist, burning them with an iron or hot water, and leaving Treshae’s broken arm to heal without treatment. Though both girls were enrolled in school, they were frequently absent and Treshae was dropped from the rolls in April 2007. Trenay showed up twice with a black eye. In both cases, school officials did not investigate or report problems to the authorities. In fear of further observation, however, Troupe decided not to let the girls return to school in the fall, and they were not seen outside of their apartment until November. “I don’t go to school,” Treshae would later tell police. “My mom teaches me at home. She said it was better.”
Both Troupe and Duchane pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and were sentenced to life in prison.
Date: November 6, 2007
Location: Phoenix, Arizona Read More
Posted: February 28, 2014 by clmccracken
Trenay Cheire Duchane, and 1 sibling
Trenay Duchane, age 12, died after being punched to unconsciousness, beaten with an electrical cord and a broomstick, and scalded to death by her stepmother, Reiko Troupe, as punishment for not cleaning her room. Her 9-year-old sister Treshae was also beaten and burned in an attempt to save Trenay. The girls’ father, Jeffrey Duchane Jr., allowed Trenay’s body to remain in their apartment for four days, eventually calling the police because Trenay’s body was beginning to smell.
CPS investigated the Duchanes in summer 2006 when Troupe gave birth to a baby girl who showed signs of drug exposure. The family was being monitored by CPS until November, when they moved away to escape scrutiny. According to Treshae, this is when Duchane and Troupe began to abuse the two girls, beating them with a knotted electrical cord or a fist, burning them with an iron or hot water, and leaving Treshae’s broken arm to heal without treatment. Though both girls were enrolled in school, they were frequently absent and Treshae was dropped from the rolls in April 2007. Trenay showed up twice with a black eye. In both cases, school officials did not investigate or report problems to the authorities. In fear of further observation, however, Troupe decided not to let the girls return to school in the fall, and they were not seen outside of their apartment until November. “I don’t go to school,” Treshae would later tell police. “My mom teaches me at home. She said it was better.”
Both Troupe and Duchane pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and were sentenced to life in prison.
Date: November 6, 2007
Location: Phoenix, Arizona Read More
Posted: February 28, 2014 by clmccracken
Genesis Sims
Genesis Sims, age 7, died from blunt force trauma to the chest. She had been pulled from school to be homeschooled six weeks into the fall semester. Her father, Hanif Sims, had been physically abusing her since at least 2003, and his girlfriend Monique Lynch may also have abused the girl.
The day before she died, Genesis had been forced by Sims to stand in the cold with no shoes as a punishment. On December 10, the 12th birthday of her stepbrother Devon, Genesis wet herself out of fear of her father. Sims made her take a shower, then became enraged when she took too long. He picked Genesis up by the throat and punched her in the chest, causing her heart to fail. Sims and Lynch sat with an unconscious Genesis for two days, deciding not to seek medical care for her because Lynch—who was five months pregnant at the time—had an outstanding arrest warrant in New Jersey and did not want to go to prison. When Sims and Lynch believed Genesis to be dead, they wrapped her in trash bags and buried her in the crawlspace. She may have still been alive when she was buried.
After Genesis’ death, Sims and Lynch told Devon and the neighbors that Genesis had been sent to live with her biological mother in New Jersey. They then moved the family to a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, California, where they lived from March to December 2009 before dropping off Devon and their infant child with relatives. Genesis’ body was found on May 9, 2010 by plumbers working in the Colorado house where she had been buried. Authorities in multiple states searched for Lynch and Sims and finally caught them in July 2010. Both were charged with first-degree murder, but both reached a plea deal and pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. Lynch was sentenced to 27 years in prison and Sims was sentenced to 40.
Date: December 10, 2008
Location: Monument, Colorado Read More
Last Updated: March 27, 2020 by clmccracken
Cheyenne Noell Wolf
Cheyenne Wolf, age 11, died from an untreated head injury. Her sisters, S.E. (age 16) and S.M., reported that Cheyenne was routinely beaten by their stepmother, Denise Wolf, and tied to a chair and bed. Cheyenne had spina bifida, wore leg braces and was incontinent. She had been withdrawn from school in January 2008 to be homeschooled, while S.E. continued to attend public school.
After her death, Cheyenne’s biological father Abel Wolf concealed her body in storage bins and the family carried her remains with them as they moved, first to Montana and then to Oregon. When S.E. ran away from home, the Wolfs feared that Cheyenne’s body would be discovered and moved it to the home of Denise Wolf’s brother, who reported it to the police in 2009.
In 2011, Denise and Abel Wolf were convicted of child abuse, child abuse by neglect, and unlawful removal of a dead body. They were both sentenced to life in prison. The Wolfs’ other two daughters became wards of the state.
Date: April 2008
Location: Bokchito, Oklahoma Read More
Posted: February 16, 2014 by clmccracken
Emily Fritts
Mary Fritts kidnapped her 7-year-old daughter, Emily Fritts, from Staunton, Virginia, in August 1994 to avoid allowing her ex-husband visitation rights. The mother and daughter assumed new identities and moved frequently, living in Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, Alaska, and Montana. Mary also homeschooled Emily. Emily’s father, Rodney Fritts, hired a private investigator and spent nearly half a million dollars searching for his daughter. After Rodney went on The Montel Williams Show in 2002, Mary made the decision to return Emily to her father and surrender herself to authorities in hopes of receiving reduced charges. Emily was 15 when she was reunited with her father. Mary was convicted of a misdemeanor and fined $250.
Date: April 15, 2002
Location: Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, Alaska, and Montana Read More
Last Updated: July 3, 2021 by clmccracken
Gail Perkins
In the late 1990s, 18-month-old Gail Perkins was kidnapped by her father, Adam Lee Perkins, from her Greensboro, North Carolina, home in the midst of a custody dispute. Along with his mother, Ruth Perkins, Adam fled with the girl to Alabama and later Ohio, where he claimed to be homeschooling the now 6-year-old (it is unknown whether he followed Ohio’s homeschool law or, more likely, homeschooled under the radar). On February 23, 2002, five years after Gail was kidnapped, private investigators finally tracked the family down and returned Gail to her mother, Nikki Jones.
Date: February 23, 2002
Location: Streetsboro, Ohio Read More
Posted: February 15, 2014 by clmccracken
Lisa Gooding
In 1991, Melissa Gooding kidnapped her 2-year-old daughter, Lisa Gooding. Melissa’s parents accompanied the mother and daughter, and Lisa grew up in the company of her mother and grandparents. The family adopted assumed names and moved every few years (they lived in Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Utah before settling in Texas). Lisa was homeschooled and was never left alone with anyone outside of the family. Lisa’s father hired a private detective who eventually tracked the family down after 11 years. Lisa, by then 13 years old, was returned to her father, who had been awarded custody in 1991 before her kidnapping. News reports also identify the mother and daughter as Melissa Board and Kimber Board.
Date: September 17, 2002
Location: Corinth, Texas Read More
Posted: February 15, 2014 by rachel
Holly, Kyla, and Corrie Snyder
Wesley Snyder shot his wife, Ruth, and his three daughters, Holly, 12, Kyla, 10, and Corrie, 8, before turning his gun on himself. The family was found dead by Ruth’s mother, who lived in a mobile home 100 yards away from the family’s mobile home. The family ran a ranch and homeschooled. Neighbors described Wesley as a polite man who kept to himself.
Date: July 7, 2001
Location: Las Palomas, New Mexico Read More
Posted: February 15, 2014 by rachel
Laree Slack
12-year-old Laree Slack died from internal bleeding after being beaten with rubberized electrical cable by her parents, Larry and Constance Slack. Larry and Constance were devout Jehovah’s Witnesses who homeschooled their six children and followed interpretations of Biblical discipline that included whippings. The incident that led to Laree’s death, as well as the severe beating of her 8-year-old brother, began when a credit card was lost because it was hidden under dirty laundry. The family’s laundry was Laree’s responsibility. Larry was sentenced to life in prison for Laree’s murder and thirty years in prison for the aggravated battery of Laree’s brother; Constance was sentenced to twenty five years in prison for murder.
Date: November 11, 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois Read More
Posted: February 15, 2014 by rachel
Josef Smith
8-year-old Josef Smith was found dead when paramedics responded to a call from his home. Medical examiners concluded that the boy died of “acute and chronic” abuse. The boy’s parents, Joseph and Sonya Smith, were members of Remnant Fellowship Church, and followed discipline methods that included beating children with twelve-inch glue sticks and locking children in closets. The defense argued that the injuries found on the body did not cause the boy’s death, and that Joseph and Sonya’s discipline methods never rose to the level of abuse. Joseph and Sonya were found guilty of felony murder, reckless conduct, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, and cruelty to children and were sentenced to life plus thirty years in prison. The couple’s church supported them against the charges and appealed the case, but their appeals were denied. The Smith family homeschooled.
Date: October 8, 2003
Location: Mableton, Georgia Read More
Posted: February 15, 2014 by rachel
Neil Beagley
Neil Beagley died of an undiagnosed and untreated urinary tract blockage. His parents, Jeffrey and Marci Beagley, attended Oregon City’s Followers of Christ church and practiced faith healing. Neil was homeschooled after the third grade, associated mainly with family and church friends, and was described as an independent, active child who enjoyed being homeschooled. Jeffrey and Marci Beagley were sentenced to 16 months in prison for medical neglect.
Date: June 17, 2008
Location: Oregon City, Oregon Read More
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