Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Brittany and Tatianna Jacks, N'Kiah and Aja Fogle

Content note: Case narratives include descriptions of severe violence inflicted on children, including abuse and neglect, sexual violence, torture, and murder, as well as mentions of suicide and domestic violence. They also include photos of victims and perpetrators of violence.

Jacks and Fogle

Brittany Jacks, 17, Tatianna Jacks, 11, N’Kiah Fogle, 6, and Aja Fogle, 5, were withdrawn from the Washington, D.C., public school system in March of 2007 to be homeschooled by their mother. In January of 2008, their bodies were discovered in an advanced state of decomposition by marshals serving an eviction notice. Their mother, Banita Jacks, 33, said that the four were “possessed by demons” and claimed that they had died in their sleep. Their bodies showed evidence of stabbing and strangulation. Jacks was tried and convicted.

Date: January 2008
Location: Washington, D.C.

Documents: Date:
SE Woman Says Four Daughters were Possessed 2008-01-11
Mother Charged in Grisly Deaths of Her Four Children 2008-01-11
Banita Jacks ‘kept dead daughters for months’ 2008-01-11
Child welfare had lost track of 4 sisters found dead in D.C. 2008-01-12
Problems found at D.C. home before deaths 2008-01-12
Lack of Supervision Noted in Deaths of Home-Schooled 2008-01-12
Fenty Fires 6 In Girls’ Deaths 2008-01-15
D.C. Woman: ‘Demons’ possessed slain girls 2009-02-11
Plenty of Blame to Go Around In Girls’ Deaths, Report Finds 2008-04-03
Banita Jacks Scheduled to Go on Trial in Daughters’ Deaths 2009-07-12
In Video, Jacks Tells Of Dreams, Ordeals 2009-07-15
Prosecutor Tells Horror Story in Deaths of 4 D.C. Girls; Defense Denies Guilt 2009-07-16
In Rare Display, Jacks Moved To Tears as Mother Testifies 2009-07-17
Boyfriend of Jacks’s Daughter Tells of Last Time Seeing Her 2009-07-18
Officer Recants Seeing Jacks Daughter Healthy 2009-07-23
Sergeant Probed Over Incorrect Jacks Report 2009-07-24
D.C. Judge Convicts Jacks of Murder in Deaths of Four Daughters 2009-07-30
Banita Jacks Convicted of Murdering Four Daughters 2009-07-30
D.C. Mother Guilty of Slaying Four Girls 2009-07-30
2 Years After 4 Deaths, D.C. Welfare System Remains Under Scrutiny 2009-10-21