Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Jessyca Mullenberg

13-year-old Jessyca Mullenberg was kidnapped from her father’s home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, by her writing teacher, Steven Oliver, on September 16, 1995. Oliver and Jessyca drove to Kansas City, Missouri, and then flew to Houston, Texas. Oliver took Jessyca from motel to motel, presenting himself as her father and physically, sexually, and mentally abusing […]

3 Children of Laurie Williamson

As early as 2000, Laurie Williamson’s eldest son’s teacher began expressing concern about him as they watched a once-happy preschooler become thin and withdrawn. Williamson responded by withdrawing him from school and homeschooling all three of her children. By the time Williamson’s three children—Tom, Roger, and Chrissy—were 11, 9, and 6, they were on a […]

Joseph Beebe

8 year old Joseph Beebe was beaten to death with a bamboo rod by his adoptive mother, Edith Beebe. Joseph was one of six disabled children adopted by Edith and her husband Brian; all were homeschooled. The Beebes were deeply religious and believed that they must discipline their children with what they called a “holy […]

2 Children of Richard and Christine Dodson

A 6 year old boy and a 5 year old girl were abused by their adoptive parents, Richard and Christine Dodson. The Dodsons severely starved and beat the boy, and broke the girl’s bones multiple times. The boy was reported to have been beaten with a stick, often forced to run laps around a tree […]

Stephen Hill and 1 Sibling

Stephen Hill was 13 years old but weighed only 55 pounds when he died—having gained only 1 pound and grown only 1 inch since he was removed from school to be homeschooled four years earlier at age 9. Stephen’s parents had kept him chained in order to deprive him of food, and he died 13 […]

Ramie and Timothy Grimmer

Rachelle Dianne Grimmer shot her two children, Ramie, aged 12, and Timothy, aged 10, in the head in a state welfare office to protest being denied food stamps. Grimmer had been on and off of government programs for years, and had for a time lived with her children in a tent on a beach. Grimmer’s […]

Child of Stephen Douglas James

The sexual abuse suffered at the hands of her adoptive father, Stephen Douglas James, began when she was 11, the girl reported, but she did not initially tell anyone of the abuse because she was afraid that her father would hurt her or her brothers. She finally told her adoptive mother, who confronted James about […]

Chrystal Ramirez and Sister

Chrystal Ramirez, 8 years old, died of abuse suffered at the hands of her adoptive parents, Rubin Stephen and Bettie Ramirez. She was beaten with a cane until her brain bled, and was also starved and severely malnourished. She was often restrained, taped at the wrists and ankles and chained to her bed. Her mouth […]

Andrew Burd

Andrew Burd was 4 years old when he died of salt poisoning. Exactly what happened the day of his death and why he was overdosed on salt remain a question. In her trial, the prosecution argues that Andrew’s foster mother, Hannah Overton, forced him to drink a mixture of water and Cajun spices as a […]

3 Children in Liberty County, Texas

An 8 year old boy was found locked inside an abandoned church, with only a paint can and a roll of toilet paper, after neighbors told Child Protective Services that the boy’s mother often left the child there. The mother, who told investigators that the boys were homeschooled, regularly isolated the boy and his brothers, […]