Cases
Case Narratives Content note Please note that, while the data included in our findings and issues reports are current as of March 2024, the case narrative archive is under review. Some write-ups may contain incomplete information, especially when it comes to developments in criminal cases. Additionally, the narratives include descriptions of severe violence inflicted on […]
Findings
Initial findings Note: The following are preliminary findings from an ongoing analysis of quantitative and qualitative data in the HIC database. A full report will be published in Summer 2024. Key takeaways Case numbers The database contains over 400 cases of child abuse and neglect from 47 US states and Washington, D.C. Right now, we […]
Isabella Kalua
Isabella Kalua, age 6, disappeared from the home of her adoptive parents, Isaac K. “Sonny” Kalua III and Lehua Kalua. Isabella was homeschooled. Isabella was born Ariel Sellers to Melanie Joseph and Adam Sellers, who also had four other daughters. The five girls were removed from Joseph’s home due to their parents’ drug use; one […]
Peter Kema, Jr., and 3 siblings
Peter J. Kema, Jr., age 6, often called Peter Boy, was abused and murdered by his parents, Peter Kema, Sr. and Jaylin Kema. Peter Boy was homeschooled. His older half-siblings, Chauntelle and Allan Acol, and younger sister Devalynn ‘Lina’ Acol, were also abused. In August 1991, when Peter Boy was only a few months old, […]
Girl by Hyacinth Poouahi
A.C., a 10-year-old girl, was starved and tortured with the knowledge of her caregiver, Hyacinth Poouahi (pictured left). A.C. was homeschooled. A.C., then age 9, was dropped off at Poouahi’s home in November 2004 by her biological mother, Crystal McGrath, who was a friend of Poouahi. Three education professionals at A.C.’s school, Keonepoko Elementary School, […]
Shaelynn Lehano-Stone
Shaelynn A. Lehano-Stone, age 9, was starved to death by her parents, Kevin Lehano and Tiffany Stone, and her grandmother Henrietta Stone. Shaelynn was homeschooled. Shaelynn and her brother were removed from their parents’ custody in 2007 after Lehano assaulted Tiffany Stone. Later, Henrietta Stone became Shaelynn’s legal guardian, although her parents lived in the […]
Child of Melvin Wright Jr. and Denise Wright
Medical personnel responding to an emergency call in early January, 2007, found an emaciated 11-year-old girl. Some reports indicate that the girl weighed under 30 pounds. The girl was taken to the hospital and then sent to live with her grandparents in South Carolina. Medical authorities reported that she will suffer permanent developmental disabilities as the […]
