Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Lauren Kavanaugh, and 5 siblings

Lauren Kavanaugh, also known as Lauren Calhoun, was freed at age 8 from a six-year imprisonment in a closet where she was systematically tortured, raped, and starved by her mother and stepfather, Barbara and Kenneth Atkinson. The Atkinsons’ other children, who ranged in age from 22 months to 10 years, were also neglected; they did […]

Son of Michael Marshall and Sharon Glass

A 12-year-old boy, the son of Michael Marshall, was starved and imprisoned by his father and his father’s girlfriend, Sharon Glass, reportedly for stealing food. Two other children, Marshall’s 10-year-old daughter and Glass’s 5-year-old son, also lived in the home. The abuse began in 2009 when Glass moved in with Marshall. Glass’s ex-husband, Tony Glass, […]

3 children of Eraca Dawn Craig and Christian Jessica Deanda

Three children—an 8-year-old girl and two boys, ages 5 and 3—were abused, imprisoned, and starved by their parents, Eraca Dawn Craig (left) and Christian Jessica Deanda, who were domestic partners. The children were homeschooled. The girl had been chained to the wall with shackles around her ankles and a collar around her neck, reportedly to […]

Cheyenne Noell Wolf

Cheyenne Wolf, age 11, died from an untreated head injury. Her sisters, S.E. (age 16) and S.M., reported that Cheyenne was routinely beaten by their stepmother, Denise Wolf, and tied to a chair and bed. Cheyenne had spina bifida, wore leg braces and was incontinent. She had been withdrawn from school in January 2008 to […]

Josef Smith

8-year-old Josef Smith was found dead when paramedics responded to a call from his home. Medical examiners concluded that the boy died of “acute and chronic” abuse. The boy’s parents, Joseph and Sonya Smith, were members of Remnant Fellowship Church, and followed discipline methods that included beating children with twelve-inch glue sticks and locking children in […]

Shane Graham and 10 Siblings

Shane Graham, age 11, disappeared in 1999 or 2000. He had autism, Down’s Syndrome, and sickle-cell anemia. His adoptive mother, Judith Leekin, is believed to have murdered him and buried him in the yard of one of her houses, although his body has not been found. Leekin also abused 10 other adopted special needs children. Leekin adopted eleven […]

Minnet and Jasmine Bowman and Sister

Minnet (age 9) and Jasmine (age 7) Bowman were murdered in 2006 by their adoptive mother, Renee Bowman, their bodies stored in her basement freezer. The murders were discovered two years later when their then-7-year-old sister jumped out of a second-story window to escape imprisonment in her room. She was found by authorities with open […]

Sarah Neely

11-year-old Sarah Neely’s teachers became concerned when she began losing weight. Then, in October 2004, her father, Jon Neely, removed her from school to homeschool her. Opting for a Home School Assistance Program, one of Iowa’s homeschool options at the time, Sarah’s father and stepmother homeschooled her under the supervision of a certified teacher. In […]

Miranda Crockett

10-year-old Miranda Crocket was tied up when she drowned in an ice cold bathtub, the culmination of months of abuse at the hands of her father’s girlfriend. Miranda lived alone with her father, Dan Crockett, until her father’s girlfriend, Chandra Rose, moved in with them with her three children, aged 4, 6, and 11, in […]

Mitch Comer

Mitch Comer was removed from school after the eighth grade to be homeschooled by his mother and stepfather, Sheila and Paul Comer, who proceeded to imprison in his room and abuse him. On his eighteenth birthday, his parents bought him a one-way bus ticket to Los Angeles, gave him pamphlets for homeless shelters there, and […]