Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Alysha Quate, and 2 siblings

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.


Alysha Rose Quate (b. 2007) reportedly choked to death after a beating by her father, Jason Scott Quate. Her mother, Elizabeth Odell-Quate, helped conceal Alysha’s body out of fear the Quates would lose custody of Alysha’s two sisters (b. 2004 and 2005), who were also reported to be abused. The children were homeschooled.

Alysha attended public school until October 2011. Her older sisters attended school until January 2013. During that time, child protective services investigated at least two tips from school officials, although a neighbor reported that Odell-Quate “would not allow authorities to enter and check the children’s well-being.” Later, the Quates began homeschooling the children and isolating them from their grandparents. Sometime in 2013, according to the Quates, Jason Quate beat Alysha while she had food in her mouth, and she choked to death. The Quates stored her body in a plastic bin to conceal her death. In November 2015, child protective services told Odell-Quate that her family was again under investigation. The Quates panicked, dumped Alysha’s body in Centreville, IL, and moved the family to Las Vegas, NV in January 2016, where Jason Quate forced Odell-Quate to work as a prostitute and abused his remaining daughters. Quate did not allow them to speak to their mother or leave the house, and he beat, burned, and sexually abused them. When they were rescued they were pale, scarred, and one girl was missing chunks of hair.

Alysha’s death came to light when Odell-Quate went to a women’s shelter to report the location of Alysha’s remains and her husband’s crimes. Both Quates were charged with felony concealing of a homicide; Jason Quate was also charged with felony child abuse and sex-trafficking.

Date: 2013
Location:
Belleville, Illinois

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Documents: Date:
Father of girl whose body was found in Centreville says girl’s death was an accident 06-09-2017
Couple from Belleville charged with concealing 6-year-old daughter’s homicidal death 06-10-2017
‘He killed Alysha’: Grandparents say girl choked to death after father hit her 06-10-2017
Pair in Illinois dead child case appear in Las Vegas courts 06-12-2017
Sisters of girl found dead in Metro East had signs of abuse, Las Vegas police reports say 06-14-2017