Five children–a girl b. 2007, a boy b. 2008, two children b. 2009 and 2011, and a boy b. 2012–were starved, imprisoned, tortured, and medically neglected by their parents, Yenier and Sarah Conde (pictured). Yenier also abused Sarah. The children were homeschooled.
Sarah Conde ran an American Kennel Club breeding program in the home. The oldest boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a baby. The family first came to the attention of child services in April 2009 when someone reported the home was filthy and detrimental to the boy’s health. The boy completed cancer treatment in 2011 and child services investigated the family again in 2012 because the boy had missed multiple follow-up appointments. CPS investigated again four months later when the boy was sent to school without a clean diaper. The boy’s cancer treatment caused him to need diapers, a leg brace, and specialized shoes, but “Sarah Conde requested the school remove him from special education programs and physical therapy treatments.” A reporter with the Lansing State Journal confirmed by email that the children attended school at one point, but were removed to be homeschooled by Sarah Conde. CPS investigated the family at least 12 times between 2009 and 2017.
According to officials, the abuse began in earnest in 2011. The children were imprisoned in a “dungeon” for days at a time and forced to relieve themselves in the closet or in diapers. They were deprived of food and water and beaten with a belt if they tried to escape. “One boy reported that he had been beaten with a piece of wood with nails in it. One of the girls had a scar on her butt from a spanking.” Sarah Conde threatened to shoot the children with a gun after they flooded a bathroom with water. When they were rescued, three of the children had gone so long without dental care that their teeth were rotting and needed to be extracted. Several of the children were also diagnosed with mental illnesses due to trauma.
The abuse came to light after Yenier Conde filed for divorce in April 2017. Sarah Conde responded with an order of protection against her husband and each accused the other of child abuse. The children were interviewed in May 2017 and removed from the home in June 2017. Both of the Condes were charged with 10 counts of child abuse, unlawful imprisonment, and other charges.
Date: May 2017
Location: Lansing, Michigan Read More
Last Updated: November 15, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
4 Children of Cynthia Collier
Four children—Kaileigh Lin Collier (age 17), Lia Lin Collier (age 15), Meigan Lin Collier (age 14), and Bo Li Collier (age 14) were killed by their adoptive mother, Cynthia Collier, in a murder-suicide. The children were homeschooled.
Cynthia and Randall Collier, Sr. were married in Virginia in 1982 and had three biological children, two boys and a girl. Around 2000, the family moved to Tennessee. From 2003-2008, the Colliers adopted four children from China. Around 2007, the Colliers separated, with the children staying with their mother. When the couple filed for divorce in March 2018, the children asked to stay with their mother. Neighbors described the family as “exceedingly private” and authorities described their home as “immaculate.”
In October 2018, Cynthia Collier shot and killed Kaileigh, Lia, Meigan, and Bo, then shot and killed herself. Their bodies were found when her older biological son, who lived with them, came home and notified authorities.
Date: October 15, 2018
Location: Columbia, Tennessee Read More
Last Updated: October 10, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
Son of David and Vanessa Hall
A 17-year-old boy was starved and medically neglected by his parents, David and Vanessa Hall (pictured). The boy was homeschooled.
The boy was blind and autistic. He attended special education at age 5 when the family lived in Georgia, but was then pulled from school to be homeschooled. After the family moved to Colorado around 2008, the boy did not receive any medical or dental care. He was fed only soda and crackers and forced to use a jug next to his bed as a toilet. He was rarely allowed outside. When he was rescued, the boy weighed 88 lbs. and had “severe malnutrition, hypovolemic shock, a stage 3 sacral pressure sore and kidney failure…He lacked seven basic vitamins and minerals” and had scurvy.
The abuse came to light when the Halls brought the boy to the hospital after he passed out in the shower. The Halls pleaded guilty to child abuse and were sentenced to 10 years in prison due to their continued emotional abuse of the boy after his removal despite a no-contact order.
Date: August 2016
Location: Longmont, Colorado Read More
Posted: September 25, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
3 Children of Dannielle and Joshua Martin
A 13-year-old boy was starved and imprisoned by his mother, Dannielle Martin (left), his stepfather, Joshua Martin (right), and his grandmother, Vickie Higginbotham (center). The boy’s half-siblings—a 12-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy—were not reported to be abused. The children were homeschooled and had little contact with mandated reporters.
The abuse began at least as early as 2016, when Higginbotham regularly began to force the boy to sleep in a dog crate. He was also regularly chained to pieces of furniture. During the day he was forced to stay in a small room that was only big enough for a mattress on the floor. Joshua Martin claimed his long hours at work prevented him from noticing the abuse. Dannielle Martin, as a stay-at-home parent, did not have this excuse, but claimed she couldn’t stop Higginbotham.
The abuse came to light when the police investigated an anonymous tip and found the boy naked with chains padlocked around his ankles. He had worn the chains since the night before, purportedly as punishment for kicking his brother, who was uninjured. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for malnutrition. The Martins and Higginbotham were charged with aggravated child abuse. Higginbotham asked to take full responsibility for the crimes.
Date: September 20, 2018
Location: Prattville, Alabama Read More
Posted: September 13, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
5 Children of Travis and Amy Headrick
Three children—a 12-year-old girl, and two boys ages 11 and 10—were imprisoned by their adoptive parents, Travis and Amy Headrick. The household also consisted of a fourth adopted child; the Headricks’ biological daughter; and a disabled adult. The adopted children, several of whom had disabilities, were neglected, starved, and tortured. They were homeschooled while the Headricks’ biological daughter attended school.
The abuse began at least as far back as 2009; the Headricks were reported for child abuse at least 20 times between 2009 and 2015 while they were fostering children. They were never charged with anything because the children were coached not to disclose the abuse. At some point, probably around 2015, the children were adopted. According to the Headricks’ biological daughter, who was charged with caring for the adoptive children and called their conditions “inhumane”, the Headricks were motivated by reimbursement checks. The 10-year-old boy was confined in a metal horse trough covered with metal fencing and secured with zip ties. The 11-year-old boy was locked in a cage, and the 12-year-old girl was kept locked in a room. Many of the rooms in the house were equipped with alarms. The Headricks claimed the imprisonment was for the children’s own good due to their cognitive disabilities and incontinence. The Headricks kicked the children and waterboarded them as punishment. Each of the adopted children received three bologna sandwiches per day. There were no toys in the home.
The abuse came to light when the children’s babysitter showed photographic evidence of the imprisonment to police. The babysitter, who had worked for the Headricks since March 2018, did not come forward sooner because the Headricks owned the rental unit where she lived and she did not want to risk eviction. The Headricks were each charged with nine felony counts of child neglect, false imprisonment, and reckless endangerment.
Date: August 24, 2018
Location: Melvina, Wisconsin Read More
Posted: August 27, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
Children of Swansea man
A 57-year-old man, A.*, from west Wales, sexually abused one of his daughters, B., for two years. After separating from the girl’s mother, C., he met a 16-year-old girl, D., in a pub in England and began grooming and sexually abusing her. D. became pregnant within a few months and gave birth to a daughter, E. At some point, A. and D. married. A. “controlled his wife’s mental health medication and contact with doctors, cutting her off from her family and would not allow her to go shopping.” For approximately eight years, A. systematically sexually abused E. and forced D. to participate. E. was kept “locked up in his house with the doors padlocked and the curtains drawn.” She had no contact with other children, never saw a cat or dog, and didn’t know how to ride a bus or what Christmas was. E. was homeschooled and taught to view the abuse as normal.
The abuse came to light when D. reported it to the authorities. On D.’s phone, police found “76 indecent images of the couple’s daughter being raped by her father, and sexually assaulted by her mother.” A. was sentenced to life in prison on 16 counts of rape. D. was sentenced to ten years in prison for 11 counts of neglect and sexual assault.
*Note: all initials used here are pseudonyms; none of the people have been identified by name in the media.
Date: 2018
Location: Swansea, Wales, UK Read More
Posted: August 11, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
Boy by Jennifer Franklin and Randell Howell
An 11-year-old boy was beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted by his mother, Jennifer Renee Franklin, and her boyfriend, Randell Howell (pictured). The boy was homeschooled.
The boy previously lived with Franklin and his biological father; Howell began living with them after the death of the boy’s father. Howell regularly beat the boy, leaving him covered with bruises, while Franklin laughed. Franklin claimed her health problems prevented her from disciplining the boy herself. The boy was given only one meal a day and Franklin took away most of his clothes. The boy was forced to clean the toilet with his personal toothbrush, and Franklin sexually assaulted the boy, ordering him not to tell anyone. She pulled him out of school to homeschool him, claiming it was due to his problems in the classroom, but the boy told investigators he was homeschooled to prevent teachers from noticing his bruises and keep him from reporting the abuse to them.
The abuse came to light when the boy escaped and ran to the home of a neighbor, who called the authorities. Franklin was charged with sexual battery and child cruelty. Howell was charged with child cruelty.
Date: August 4, 2018
Location: Key Largo, Florida Read More
Posted: August 3, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
5 Children of Yenier and Sarah Conde
Five children–a girl b. 2007, a boy b. 2008, two children b. 2009 and 2011, and a boy b. 2012–were starved, imprisoned, tortured, and medically neglected by their parents, Yenier and Sarah Conde (pictured). Yenier also abused Sarah. The children were homeschooled.
Sarah Conde ran an American Kennel Club breeding program in the home. The oldest boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a baby. The family first came to the attention of child services in April 2009 when someone reported the home was filthy and detrimental to the boy’s health. The boy completed cancer treatment in 2011 and child services investigated the family again in 2012 because the boy had missed multiple follow-up appointments. CPS investigated again four months later when the boy was sent to school without a clean diaper. The boy’s cancer treatment caused him to need diapers, a leg brace, and specialized shoes, but “Sarah Conde requested the school remove him from special education programs and physical therapy treatments.” A reporter with the Lansing State Journal confirmed by email that the children attended school at one point, but were removed to be homeschooled by Sarah Conde. CPS investigated the family at least 12 times between 2009 and 2017.
According to officials, the abuse began in earnest in 2011. The children were imprisoned in a “dungeon” for days at a time and forced to relieve themselves in the closet or in diapers. They were deprived of food and water and beaten with a belt if they tried to escape. “One boy reported that he had been beaten with a piece of wood with nails in it. One of the girls had a scar on her butt from a spanking.” Sarah Conde threatened to shoot the children with a gun after they flooded a bathroom with water. When they were rescued, three of the children had gone so long without dental care that their teeth were rotting and needed to be extracted. Several of the children were also diagnosed with mental illnesses due to trauma.
The abuse came to light after Yenier Conde filed for divorce in April 2017. Sarah Conde responded with an order of protection against her husband and each accused the other of child abuse. The children were interviewed in May 2017 and removed from the home in June 2017. Both of the Condes were charged with 10 counts of child abuse, unlawful imprisonment, and other charges.
Date: May 2017
Location: Lansing, Michigan Read More
Last Updated: July 20, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
7 Children of Kenneth and Kelly Fry
An 8-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were imprisoned, starved, and abused by their adoptive parents, Kenny and Kelly Fry (pictured). They were homeschooled. They were treated differently from the Frys’ five biological children, who were not reported to be abused.
The Frys were respected members of their community; “Kenny is the younger brother of Iowa State Rep. Joel Fry…and Kelly was a ‘standout pitcher’ for Simpson College in the 1990s.” The abused children were adopted from Ghana a few years prior to the discovery of the abuse. The Frys imprisoned the children in bare, plastic-covered rooms with alarms on the doors and only a bucket for a toilet. The children were fed only oatmeal, and when they were rescued they had several signs of malnutrition, including distended abdomens and poorly-healing wounds. “One of the children gained 8 pounds in three weeks after being removed” from the home. The children were also punished with forced exercise. The Frys claimed they imprisoned the children to punish them for bad behavior and to prevent them from “stealing” food; however, since being removed from the home they have not demonstrated these behaviors. The Frys’ other children had normal bedrooms and no food restrictions.
The abuse came to light when the children escaped and ran crying to a neighbor’s house; the neighbor reported the incident to authorities. The Frys were charged with neglect and child endangerment. Many neighbors reported they had not known the Frys had any adopted children.
Date: January 30, 2018
Location: Osceola, Iowa Read More
Last Updated: July 19, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
Children of Randy and Katherine Swopes
At least 9 children were abused by their parents, Randy and Katherine Swopes (pictured). Several of the children were homeschooled.
The Swopeses had at least 9 children, including a boy b. 1994, a child b. 2003, a child b. 2005, a girl b. 2008, and a child b. 2011. “In January 2008, Randy Swopes was charged, and later convicted, of abusing” his 14-year-old son. The boy had Crohn’s disease and had developed a rectal fistula. Rather than seeking medical treatment for his son, Randy Swopes sewed the fistula shut himself, causing an infection that required the boy’s hospitalization for almost a month. Randy Swopes took an Alford plea to aggravated battery for the incident and was placed on the child abuse registry. Eight minor children were removed from the Swopeses’ custody at that time; the children were returned more than a year later after April 2009. In 2017, the Swopeses began keeping their 9-year-old daughter locked in the basement due to a belief that she was possessed by a demon. The girl was forced to use a training toilet for a bathroom and shower out of a bucket. She was not allowed contact with her siblings. The girl and her siblings born in 2005 and 2011 were homeschooled while the child born in 2003 attended school.
The abuse came to light after the police received an anonymous tip that the girl was being held in the basement. The four minor children were removed from the home and the Swopeses were charged with child endangerment and unlawful restraint.
Date: July 17, 2018
Location: Waukegan, Illinois Read More
Last Updated: August 2, 2018 by clmccracken Leave a Comment
Son of Jimmy and Amy Jones
A 15-year-old boy was starved and tortured by his father, Jimmy Jones Sr. (left), his stepmother, Amy Jones (second left), and his two adult stepbrothers, Tyler Adkins (second right) and Jonathan Plank (right). The boy was homeschooled. A 4-year-old girl who lived in the home was not reported to be abused.
The boy and his little sister were raised by their grandfather until approximately 2013, when they were removed by DHS and the boy was placed with his father. Around 2016, the boy was removed from school to be homeschooled, after which time he was not allowed to leave the property. He was forced to live in a barn with farm animals and only allowed into the house to use the bathroom. In 2017, the boy’s father shot him in the leg with a shotgun, leaving the bullets in his leg. The boy also had broken bones and an infected head wound which his father treated with superglue. The boy was starved while others in the home were well-fed; when he was rescued, he weighed only 80 lbs. and his rescuers estimated he was a week from death. Amy Jones claimed the family had not sought medical care for the boy because they lacked insurance, but evidence of insurance was found in the home.
The abuse came to light when a passerby observed the boy’s condition and called child services. Jimmy Jones was charged with child abuse and all four of the perpetrators were charged with neglect.
Date: July 18, 2018
Location: Meeker, Oklahoma Read More
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