Jordan Burling, and 1 sibling
Jordan Burling, age 18, died of bronchopneumonia as a result of medical neglect by his mother, Dawn Cranston, his sister Abigail Burling, and his grandmother Denise Cranston. Jordan was homeschooled. The body of Jordan’s infant brother was also found concealed in the home. When he attended the local elementary school, Jordan had head lice, dental […]
Boy by RCMP officer
A boy (b. 2002) was imprisoned, starved, and physically and sexually abused by his father, an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and his stepmother. The boy’s two siblings were not reported to be abused. The boy was homeschooled. The boy last attended school in June 2012; his parents began homeschooling him in September […]
5 Children of the ‘Springs Monster’
Five children (a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, two younger girls, and a 2-year-old girl) were tortured by their father, dubbed the ‘Springs Monster’. Their mother was also charged with child abuse, although she claimed that she was a victim of her husband. The children were homeschooled. The children were “shocked with electric wires and […]
Children of Lev Tahor
Lev Tahor, a Jewish sect located in Quebec, Canada, came under scrutiny from child welfare officials in 2013 amid concerns of psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, improper education, medical neglect, and underage marriages. The sect’s children were homeschooled, and officials learned that girls were not receiving the same education as boys, that the children were only […]
Dylan Seabridge, and 1 Sibling
Dylan Mungo Seabridge, age 8, died of scurvy as a result of neglect by his parents, Glynn and Julie Seabridge (pictured). Dylan and his brother were homeschooled. Dylan missed a developmental check in 2006; when officials tried to rearrange the visit, the Seabridges refused. Though Dylan was a registered patient at a local doctor and […]
Daughter of Aravindan Balakrishnan and Sian Davies
A girl (identified in the media by various pseudonyms including Rose Davies and Fran) was born in 1983 to Sian Davies (pictured at right), one of the followers of Aravindan Balakrishnan (pictured at left) and a member of his insular left-wing group, the Workers’ Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought. The girl was kept prisoner inside […]
Sarah, Chris, Rebecca, and Daniel Smith
Sarah Richardson (b. 1988, left) and her brother Chris Smith (b. 1990, second from left) were physically abused by their stepfather, TV hypnotist Martin Smith, who also subjected Sarah to systematic sexual abuse for a decade. Their mother, child services employee Lianne Smith, knew about the abuse but did nothing. After Sarah reported the abuse […]
Victoria Evans, Alloma Gilbert, and Christopher Spry
Victoria Evans (left, b. 1986), Alloma Gilbert (center, b. 1986), and Christopher Spry (right, b. 1989) were tortured, starved, and imprisoned by their adoptive mother, Eunice Spry. All three were homeschooled starting in 1994. The Sprys had two older biological daughters; two adopted daughters, Charlotte and Sarah; and others. Spry took Victoria in as a […]
Austin, Luke, and Cecilia Riggi
Twins Augustino “Austin” and Gianluca “Luke” Riggi, age 8, and their 5-year-old sister Cecilia, were murdered by their mother, Theresa Riggi. The children were homeschooled. The children’s father, Pasquale Riggi, was an oil company employee; the Riggis, though American, had lived in Scotland for 13 years. The children were born through IVF and Theresa was […]
Khyra Ishaq
Khyra Ishaq, age 7, was starved to death by her mother, Angela Gordon, and stepfather Junaid Abuhamza. Khyra and her five siblings were homeschooled. The children were subjected to regular beatings with a cane and punished by being forced to stand outside in the cold. The kitchen was kept locked and the children were starved […]
