A 9-year-old girl was beaten, starved, and imprisoned by her uncle, Joel Smith (pictured left), Joel’s wife Amanda Smith (pictured center), and their 19-year-old daughter Allison Smith (pictured right). The girl was homeschooled. It is unclear how the girl came to live with the Smiths, but she thought of them as her parents and sister. The girl was pulled from… Read more »
Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj (pictured), age 3, died as a result of medical neglect by five of his family members. Their compound also housed 11 related children, ages 1 to 15, who were malnourished and neglected. The children were homeschooled. Abdul-Ghani, who had hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, was the child of Siraj Wahhaj and Hakima Ramzi of Jonesboro, Georgia. After a trip to… Read more »
At least five children were sexually abused by their siblings. Their father, Brian Keene (pictured left), knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it. The children were homeschooled. Brian Keene and his wife had at least nine children, including: James (b. 1990, pictured second from left), Elijah (b. 1992, pictured second from right), Megan* (b. 1997), Josiah (b…. Read more »
VK, an 11-year-old boy (pictured), was starved and medically abused by his foster mother, Lyubov Korotkova. VK was homeschooled. Korotkova also had an adult son who lived with them and an adult daughter. Korotkova became VK’s foster mother and removed him from an orphanage in 2009 when he was 3 years old. For eight years, Korotkova habitually starved VK and… Read more »
A 14-year-old girl, Rachel*, was starved, imprisoned, and tortured by her family members, married couple Wesley and Sherry Keen (pictured). Rachel was homeschooled. Shortly after the Keens became Rachel’s caretakers in early 2017, they withdrew her from school to homeschool her and began keeping her in a padlocked room where she had no food, water, or bathroom access for much… Read more »
Seven children, ages 15 to 3, were starved, imprisoned, and physically and sexually abused by their adoptive mother, Machelle Hobson (pictured left). The children were homeschooled. Hobson’s four adult biological children were not reported to be abused; her sons Logan and Ryan Hackney (pictured center and right) knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. The children were… Read more »
Two boys—C.H., b. 2003; and J.H., b. 2005—were beaten and starved by their parents, James and Tina Harbert (pictured). The boys were homeschooled. The Harberts’ daughter was not reported to be abused. James Harbert used a 2×4, a dog leash, and his fists to beat the boys multiple times a week for as long as they could remember. The injuries… Read more »
Sanaa Cunningham (pictured right with her siblings), age 7, died as a result of abuse and neglect by her father, Germayne Cunningham, and her stepmother Lisa Cunningham. Sanaa was homeschooled. Sanaa’s biological parents, Germayne Cunningham and Sylvia Norwood, married in 2007. Cunningham was a police detective. Their first daughter X. was born in 2007 and Sanaa was born in December… Read more »
Olivia Farrell (pictured), b. around 2001, was beaten and imprisoned by her adoptive parents, Neil and Janet Farrell. Olivia was homeschooled. Olivia’s three older sisters, who were also adopted, were not reported to be abused. The Farrells began caring for Olivia when she was 5 months old. Janet Farrell had previously been a certified teacher and homeschooled Olivia K-12. The… Read more »
Two children, a 14-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, were imprisoned, starved, and beaten by their adoptive parents, Patrick and Angel Henderson (pictured). The children were homeschooled. Their siblings, a 13-year-old and a 6-year-old, were not reported to be similarly abused. From 2007 to 2019, the Hendersons “have been investigated for child abuse or neglect 18 times…, though only a… Read more »