Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

2 Children of Christopher and Kathryn Williams

A girl, L., b. 2005, and a boy, M.*, b. 2007, were medically abused by their parents, Christopher J. Williams and Kathryn A. Williams. The children were homeschooled. The medical abuse of the children began at least as early as 2007 when M. was born. The Williamses had both of the children’s intestines unnecessarily removed, […]

Caden McWilliams

Caden McWilliams, age 7, died as a result of abuse by his mother, Elisha Pankey. Pankey claimed to be homeschooling Caden in order to cover up his death. Caden’s sibling, who lived in the home, was not reported to be abused. Caden’s mother married his stepfather, Leland Pankey, in 2014. Leland Pankey assaulted Elisha Pankey […]

Elwyn and Mary Crocker

The bodies of Elwyn Crocker, Jr., b. 2002, and Mary Crocker, b. 2004, were discovered in December 2018. The children’s father, Elwyn Crocker, Sr., his wife Candice Crocker, Candice Crocker’s mother Kim Wright, and Wright’s boyfriend Roy Anthony Prater, were arrested in connection with the children’s deaths. The children were homeschooled. The children’s disabled half-brother, […]

Daughter of Kevin and Felicia Boon

A 15-year-old girl was imprisoned, tortured, and starved by her father, Kevin M. Boon (pictured left), and her stepmother Felicia Boon (pictured right). The Boons also enlisted the girl’s step-siblings, ages 15, 14, and 12, in the torture. Four additional younger children were not reported to be abused. The girl was homeschooled. The girl was […]

Children of Thomas and Denise Atkocaitis

A 15-year-old girl, O., was imprisoned by her adoptive parents, Thomas and Denise Atkocaitis (pictured). O. was homeschooled. The police had contact with the Atkocaitises twice before: in 2010, when Denise Atkocaitis was accused of abusing one child, and in 2017 when she was arrested for assaulting a different child. Around early July 2018, the […]

3 Children of Arthur and Jenny Peterman

Three children—a 19-year-old girl, A.; a 9-year-old girl, B.; and a 7-year-old boy, C.*—were physically and sexually abused by their parents, Arthur and Jenny Peterman. The two youngest children were homeschooled. Arthur Peterman began sexually abusing A. daily when she was four years old. He also regularly sexually abused B., who told police “it happened […]

Vincent Nicolai

Vincent Salem Nicolai, age 7, was killed by his mother, Stephanie Adams, in a murder-suicide. Vincent was homeschooled. Adams and her husband, Dr. Charles Nicolai, married in 2009 and filed at least ten domestic incident reports over the course of their marriage. Until 2017, Vincent attended local public schools, where Adams was a “present and […]

4 Children of Cynthia Collier

Four children—Kaileigh Lin Collier (age 17), Lia Lin Collier (age 15), Meigan Lin Collier (age 14), and Bo Li Collier (age 14) were killed by their adoptive mother, Cynthia Collier, in a murder-suicide. The children were homeschooled. Cynthia and Randall Collier, Sr. were married in Virginia in 1982 and had three biological children, two boys […]

3 Children of Dannielle and Joshua Martin

A 13-year-old boy was starved and imprisoned by his mother, Dannielle Martin (left), his stepfather, Joshua Martin (right), and his grandmother, Vickie Higginbotham (center). The boy’s half-siblings—a 12-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy—were not reported to be abused. The children were homeschooled and had little contact with mandated reporters. The abuse began at least as […]

5 Children of Travis and Amy Headrick

Three children—a 12-year-old girl, and two boys ages 11 and 10—were imprisoned by their adoptive parents, Travis and Amy Headrick. The household also consisted of a fourth adopted child; the Headricks’ biological daughter; and a disabled adult. The adopted children, several of whom had disabilities, were neglected, starved, and tortured. They were homeschooled while the […]