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 pulled from school in November 2017 to be homeschooled, but “she said the lessons mostly consisted of Felicia Boon making her copy passages from the Bible.” The abuse escalated dramatically. The girl was deprived of food and water for days. She was only allowed one set of clothes, and Felicia Boon made her shower in them while spraying her with bleach. The girl was prevented from showering for weeks at a time. “After Felicia Boon was tired of dealing with” the girl, she placed the girl’s 15-year-old step-sibling in charge of torturing her. In August 2018, the girl was confined to her room, where she had no mattress, blankets, or pillows, and Kevin Boon installed an alarm on the door and held it closed with zip-ties, forcing her to use an ice cream container as a toilet. The girl’s step-siblings also tied her to her bed with zip-ties and beat her with a metal pole and belt. In November 2018, with the consent of Kevin Boon, the girl’s step-siblings began scalding her by throwing hot water on her, telling her “this is how hell feels.” When she was rescued, the girl had “bruising to her right eye and upper lip, and lacerations on her face and head.”

The abuse came to light when the girl obtained a cell phone and called her aunt, who called the police. The Boons were charged with abuse, neglect, and false imprisonment. The girl’s step-siblings were charged in juvenile court.

Date: December 5, 2018
Location: Cudahy, Wisconsin

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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 2014 allegation was substantiated.” The children last attended school in the Wakefield Community School District during the 2015-2016 school year, but were then pulled from school to be homeschooled. The children were kept locked in a bedroom with an alarm and were only allowed to leave to use the bathroom and visit the doctor. If the alarm went off, Angel Henderson would choke, kick, and beat them with a bat and belt. They were fed only one meal a day and were only allowed to eat if they finished their schoolwork, “which consisted of worksheets.” The children were forced to sleep in homemade straitjackets—one-piece pajamas with the legs sewn together from crotch to ankles and the arms sewn closed and attached to the back, with stocking caps tied over their heads and faces.

The abuse came to light when the boy ran away from home and the Hendersons reported him missing. When authorities found him, he disclosed the abuse to them. The Hendersons were charged with child abuse.

Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Wakefield, Nebraska

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Olivia Farrell (pictured), b. 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 family were faithful attendees and donors at Life Bible Church in Holly Springs, GA, and their oldest adopted daughter Ashlyn was a missionary to Papua New Guinea. According to the Farrells, Olivia had Reactive Attachment Disorder as well as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which allowed them to maintain active guardianship over Olivia even though she was an adult.

The Farrells beat Olivia’s buttocks and feet with 10-inch industrial glue sticks, taking care to hide the bruises. As punishment for non-aggressive behavior, they kept Olivia locked in her room for weeks and months at a time with limited food and only sometimes a bucket for a toilet. “All furniture in the room would be moved out, [and the Farrells] would also monitor Olivia’s activity with video and audio recorders.”

The abuse came to light when Olivia escaped from the Farrells’ home and was declared missing and possibly endangered. During the course of the search, investigators became suspicious of the Farrells’ behavior. Olivia was found the next day, having travelled approximately 15 miles on foot, whereupon she reported the abuse. The Farrells were charged with cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and exploitation of a disabled adult.

Date: June 23, 2018
Location: Bent Tree Community, Pickens County, Georgia

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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 2009. The couple broke up shortly after Sanaa’s birth and exchanged restraining orders; Cunningham was awarded sole custody of the two girls. In August 2015 Cunningham married Lisa Anderson, whose two children from a previous marriage (Cierra Anderson, b. 1997, and G., b. 2002) also joined the family. The Cunninghams later had two children, E. and J., together.

At the time the Cunninghams married, Sanaa attended preschool, where several people told authorities “they had never seen symptoms of abuse, trauma, or behavioral disorders.” However, according to authorities, in August 2015 immediately after the Cunninghams married, Lisa Cunningham began to claim that Sanaa had behavioral issues. On March 4, 2016, child protective services visited the home in response to an anonymous tip. While Sanaa and her siblings denied any abuse, authorities noted Sanaa had a “severe eating disorder” involving incontinence and pica. In April 2016 the Cunninghams pulled Sanaa out of school to homeschool her. In October 2016 child services investigated again, reportedly as a result of an allegation of sexual abuse by Germayne Cunningham’s mother, Valerie Cunningham, but found the complaint unsubstantiated. By December 2016, Lisa Cunningham was disciplining Sanaa by locking her outside wearing only a diaper. That month, Sanaa was diagnosed with schizophrenia and her biological mother, Sylvia Norwood, attempted to visit her but was prevented from doing so by Germayne Cunningham. As a result of this incident, police visited the home and found Sanaa “partially clothed, sitting in a lawn chair in the closed laundry room. Her knees were badly skinned and bandaged. A camera was mounted in the small room.” Sanaa claimed she had injured herself. A child services case was opened on Sanaa’s behalf but she remained in the home.

In January 2017, Sanaa was prescribed an anti-psychotic, and her condition worsened within weeks. When Lisa Cunningham found Sanaa unresponsive in early February, she waited more than 12 hours to get her medical attention. Sanaa died a few hours after being admitted to the hospital. At the time of her death, Sanaa weighed only 45 pounds and she was covered in over 100 cuts and bruises, including an open septic wound on her foot. The Cunninghams confessed to regularly keeping Sanaa immobilized with zip-ties, a straitjacket, and handcuffs, reporting that these measures were necessary for her protection and that of their other children. However, “many of Sanaa’s symptoms were not witnessed by doctors, only reported by her parents.” Pathologists ruled that Sanaa had died of sepsis “because the restraints prevented her from expelling infected fluid from her lungs.” The Cunninghams were charged with child abuse and murder.

Date: February 12, 2017
Location: Goodyear, Arizona

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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 inflicted to their buttocks were so severe that they could not sit down or walk normally and they had to wear diapers to contain the bleeding. One beating was so bad that J.H. spent 11 days in the hospital. C.H. attempted suicide because the pain was so severe. Harbert also choked the children until they passed out, deprived them of food for days, and forced them to sleep in the basement dog kennels. In 2009 C.H. went to school with a black eye and child services investigated. Tina Harbert lied to hospital personnel about C.H.’s injuries. Sometime later, the Harberts began homeschooling the children, ostensibly in order to use their labor for their dog kennel business. Tina Harbert also beat the boys with a 2×4 and occasionally dressed their wounds or gave them pain medication, but made no effort to get them medical care. By contrast, she told investigators she did not abuse her dogs “because they did not lie to her or misbehave.”

The abuse came to light in September 2015 when C.H. was sent to live with his maternal grandparents, who noticed the injuries to his buttocks and reported them to child services. Investigators then checked the other children and found that J.H. had “large, open, and weeping wounds across the entire length of his buttocks.” The boys were hospitalized; a month later, J.H.’s wounds still had not healed. James Harbert pleaded guilty to child abuse and was sentenced to 20-40 years in prison. Tina Harbert was found guilty of child abuse and was sentenced to 5-20 years in prison.

Date: September 20, 2015
Location: Spring Arbor, Michigan

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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 forced to participate in videos on Hobson’s popular YouTube channel “Fantastic Adventures” and were abused when they refused or forgot their lines. They were beaten with various objects and doused with pepper spray, forced to take ice baths, and locked in closets for days without food and water. According to Hobson, at least one of the children had a disability. While some of the children originally attended school, they were withdrawn to be homeschooled so they could spend more time filming the series.

The abuse came to light when Hobson’s adult biological daughter reported it to the authorities, prompting a welfare check which revealed the abuse. Hobson was charged with molestation, child abuse, child neglect, and unlawful imprisonment. The Hackneys were charged with failure to report abuse.

Date: March 13, 2019
Location: Maricopa, Arizona

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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 of the day. Rachel’s neighborhood friend, Madison Brennan, reported that she tried to visit but was told by the Keens that Rachel was not available. Rachel was only let out for dinner each day. Wesley Keen beat her with a belt buckle and tortured her by breaking her fingers and teeth. She was forced to write “I do as I’m told or get punished” almost 3,000 times. When she was rescued, Rachel weighed only 70 pounds.

The abuse came to light when one of Rachel’s relatives, most likely Wesley Keen’s mother Hazel Byrd, grew concerned that she hadn’t seen Rachel in awhile and called the authorities for a welfare check. Authorities found the padlock on Rachel’s door and removed her from the Keens’ custody. Wesley Keen pleaded guilty to assault, malicious wounding, child abuse, and abduction, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Sherry Keen pleaded guilty to child abuse and abduction and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

*Rachel is a pseudonym.

Date: April 23, 2018
Location: Vinton, Bedford County, Virginia

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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 gave him medication to make him sick so that she could fraudulently claim he was disabled, eventually collecting approximately $65,000 in disability benefits. Korotkova was seen by her neighbors as a hero for raising a disabled child, and when VK was rescued at first the neighbors staged a public campaign for VK’s return. Korotkova’s husband, Andrei, was unaware of the abuse.

The abuse was uncovered by doctor in May 2017. At that time 11-year-old VK weighed as much as a 4-year-old. Korotkova was sentenced to 6 years in prison for torture. VK’s psychologist was granted custody of him.

Date: May 2017
Location: Magadan, Russia

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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. 1999, pictured right), Samantha* (b. 2000), Emma* (b. 2003), Tyler* (b. 2005), Ava* (b. 2007), and Mason* (b. 2008). The children’s mother left the family in 2014 and later died. Reports said at least some of the children had attended school in the past, but none of the children had attended in years. Brian Keene reported he had not provided instruction to the children since his wife left. The children were not given adequate food and their clothes had holes; the home had no heat, smelled like a “backed up sewer”, had holes in the walls and floor, and was overrun with pests. The family dog was also neglected. None of the children had seen a doctor since at least 2009, since according to Brian Keene “none of them were ever sick”; however, Mason walked with a limp due to an untreated foot injury from unsafe conditions in the home.

Around 2005, when Elijah was about 13, he began repeatedly sexually abusing his sisters Megan (then age 8) and Emma (then age 2). He began molesting Samantha around 2012 (when she was 12). James also sexually abused Emma; and James, Elijah, and Josiah all sexually abused Tyler and Ava. Brian Keene knew about the abuse and attributed it to his sons’ “raging hormones.” The abuse continued for years.

The abuse came to light when Samantha left the home, bringing Emma, Tyler, and Ava with her. In April 2019, police received a suspicious vehicle complaint and found Samantha and the children in the car; she reported their home was unsafe and the children subsequently disclosed the abuse. Brian Keene was charged with child neglect, and James, Elijah, and Josiah Keene were all charged with numerous counts of sexual assault of a child.

*not their real names

Date: April 8, 2019
Location: South Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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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 Saudi Arabia in 2017, Wahhaj decided he wanted to stop giving Abdul-Ghani his seizure medication and use prayer to treat his illness instead. In November 2017, Wahhaj abducted Abdul-Ghani and took him to a remote area in New Mexico where he established a compound with his second wife Jany Leveille, his sisters Hujrah and Subhanah Wahhaj, his brother-in-law Lucas Morton, and the women’s 11 other children. According to the grandfather of some of the children, “they were homeschooled and the adults moved them to the compound because society wouldn’t accept their Islamic religion.”

“The compound consisted of one small trailer buried in the ground and covered by plastic with no water, plumbing or electricity.” The children were malnourished and filthy, and they later reported the adults had trained them to use firearms in order to attack government institutions. Instead of giving Abdul-Ghani his medication, Wahhaj and his family members “would read verses from the Quran over the boy to rid him of evil spirits.” Abdul-Ghani died December 24, 2017 and the family buried him in a crawlspace, reportedly believing he would come back to life.

The abuse came to light when a family member called the authorities in August 2018 to report that the family was starving. Authorities raided the compound and found Abdul-Ghani’s remains. Wahhaj and Leveille were charged with child abuse, “but after prosecutors missed a deadline to provide a preliminary examination, the cases were dropped” and federal weapons and terrorism charges were soon filed.

Date: August 3, 2018
Location: Amalia, Taos County, New Mexico

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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 school in 2017 and the family “claimed to have the girl in a homeschool program, but no one could name the specific program.” The girl reported she was educated by a LeapPad learning tablet. The girl endured extreme abuse, including: being forced to stay outside in all weather; forced to do extreme manual labor such as moving rocks and digging holes; beaten with numerous objects including a livestock sorting stick, including a beating for making a mistake in her schoolwork; forced to take freezing and scalding showers; choked and threatened with death; forced to wear diapers and not allowed to use the toilet; starved so that she ate paper and moldy food out of the trash because she was hungry; and kept handcuffed inside a playpen at night. When she was rescued, she had an infected and untreated laceration from the handcuffs, was covered with bruises, and was severely underweight.

The abuse came to light when the girl ran away from home and was reported missing by the Smiths in early April 2019. When authorities found her she disclosed the abuse. The Smiths, who were later arrested in Missouri, were charged with child abuse and neglect.

Date: April 5, 2019
Location: Salina, Oklahoma

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Eduardo Posso (pictured), age 12, was starved to death by his father, Luis Posso, Jr., and his stepmother Dayana Medina Flores. Eduardo’s 9-year-old sister and his brothers aged 5 and 2 were not reported to be abused. Eduardo was homeschooled.

Eduardo’s family lived in Myakka City, Florida. His mother, Aurea Esmeralda Garcia, did not have custody and last saw him in 2017. Eduardo and his siblings attended local public schools in Florida beginning in 2012. Eduardo was a skilled juggler. Numerous people, including Eduardo’s grandmother, his teachers, and his next-door neighbors, were concerned about Eduardo’s well-being, and child welfare officials investigated reports of abuse at least five times between June 2017 and December 2018. Posso and Medina Flores claimed Eduardo’s bruises were accidental and Eduardo denied the abuse, so the cases were closed. Two days after the last investigation, Posso and Medina Flores pulled the children from school to homeschool them. Shortly thereafter, they took the family on the road for their circus promoting business.

While the family was staying in a motel room in Indiana, Eduardo was kept chained in the bathtub wearing a shock collar, and Posso and Medina Flores monitored him with a camera. The abuse came to light when Posso and Medina Flores brought Eduardo to the hospital where he was declared dead. When he died he weighed around 55 lbs. His body was covered with bruises and contained 0% body fat. Posso and Medina Flores were charged with child neglect, confinement, and battery; murder charges are pending.

Date: May 24, 2019
Location: Bloomington, Indiana

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A boy and girl, ages 8 and 10, were starved and tortured by their adoptive parents, Samuel Earl Hollie II and Brandi Rae Hollie (both pictured). The children were homeschooled and “isolated from others”. Their younger sibling, the Hollies’ biological child, was not reported to be abused.

The children were in foster care before they were adopted by the Hollies in 2015. The adoption agency’s policies require training, home study, a background check with references, monthly visits for 90 days, and a one-year checkup phone call. It is unclear when the children’s homeschooling began. The boy reported that the Hollies beat him, waterboarded him, and tased him. The girl reported she was forced to sleep in a closet, beaten unconscious with a baseball bat and a belt, tased, and burned. Both children were restricted to a diet of bread, water, and occasional table scraps from the Hollies’ full meals. When they escaped, the children were malnourished, scarred, and disfigured.

The abuse came to light when the Hollies dropped the children off at their uncle’s house while they went to work. The children escaped and ran to a nearby apartment complex, where a concerned resident called the authorities. The Hollies were charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Gainesville, Florida

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Two girls, L. (b. 1998) and M. (b. 2002), were starved and neglected by their adoptive mother, Mary Heller (pictured). The girls were homeschooled.

The girls were adopted as young children, L. from China and M. from Mongolia. Both attended public school until approximately 2006, when Heller pulled them from school to homeschool them, allegedly because they were “shy”. However, according to the girls, Heller only taught them numbers and the alphabet before she stopped educating them. After the girls were rescued in 2017, they were enrolled in middle school, where M. “was found by educators to be capable of doing only the simplest of math calculations and was trailing behind even special-needs students. But by the end of the term, she was doing well, and her teachers regarded her as ‘a very nice girl and a hard worker.'”

Heller did not provide the girls with food and their home had a foul odor. Neighbors were concerned about the family and made multiple calls to child services; Heller coached the girls on how to respond to a child services visit in 2016 and told the girls to hide when anyone visited the home. The girls were not allowed to have friends and were only allowed to leave the home when they walked to the end of the driveway to get the mail.

The neglect came to light in January 2017 when the girls’ cousin asked two women to check on them. The women took the girls shopping, where the girls did not know how to order food and one said, “I always dreamed of this, going to the store.” The next day, Heller called 911 to report that she was injured. While she was hospitalized, authorities interviewed the girls. Heller was charged with neglect.

Date: January 2017
Location: Decatur, Indiana

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James Marsh, age 11, died as a result of abuse by his mother, Sarah Marsh, and his stepfather Martin Marsh*. James was homeschooled.

James was diagnosed with autism and ADHD around 2003. He received disability services as late as 2008. Sarah and Martin Marsh married in 2009. The Marshes moved to Central West in 2010 with James and their two other children (one Sarah’s, one Martin’s). James was withdrawn from school to be homeschooled in October 2010. He was kept half-naked, strapped to a portable toilet seat in the laundry room for up to 12 hours at a time, and restrained with PVC pipes and a bag over his head. In early September 2011, James last saw his pediatrician; his parents began locking him in the garden shed that night. In late September, James defecated on the floor and Martin Marsh rubbed his face in it, then doused him with water before leaving him restrained outside. James died of hypothermia; at the time of his death, he weighed only 52 lbs. The Marshes called the authorities when they found James unresponsive.

The Marshes were charged with manslaughter. Martin Marsh pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Sarah Marsh was found not guilty.

*These are the pseudonyms supplied to the Australian media.

Date: September 30, 2011
Location: Central West, New South Wales, Australia

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Mark McGregor (L) and Melissa McGregor (R)

Twin 14-year-old girls, R. and K., were starved, physically abused, and imprisoned by their adoptive parents, Mark and Melissa McGregor. The girls were homeschooled. The McGregors’ eight other biological children who also lived in the home were not reported to be abused.

The girls were adopted from Bulgaria around 2012. The McGregors previously lived in Washington state, where a child abuse investigation was opened. The family moved several times, eventually settling in Missouri and opting to homeschool, allegedly so they could better “supervise” their children. The McGregors were frequent visitors at the library.

The girls were kept locked in a dark room or a sunroom for hours at a time. Their bedroom contained only a spring bed and a tub of ripped clothing for each girl; they were only allowed pillows for good behavior. Most of their meals consisted of raw vegetables; the family’s food was kept locked up, and the girls’ siblings were allowed second helpings while they were not. The girls were hit with spoons or spatulas in front of their siblings. They were required to ask permission in order to “get dressed, read their Bible, wear shoes or take a shower”, and when they were found, R. had not bathed in several weeks. As punishment for their behavior, the girls were forced to “run a gravel road barefoot or stand outside in the cold.”

The abuse came to light when a neighbor noticed R. walking down a nearby road with bloody feet. R. disclosed the abuse and the neighbor called the authorities. R., who had not been to the doctor or dentist for a long time, was found to weigh 92 lbs. and to have pinworm parasites; K. was found to weigh 76 lbs. and to have a distended stomach due to malnutrition. The McGregors were each charged with two counts of felony child abuse and their other children were removed from the home.

Date: July 8, 2019
Location: Summersville, Missouri

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Skylea Carmack

Skylea Rayn Carmack, age 10, was murdered by her stepmother, Amanda Carmack. Skylea was homeschooled.

Skylea lived with her father Kevin Carmack, her stepmother Amanda Carmack, three of Amanda’s children, and three children of Amanda’s brother. Kevin Carmack was a truck driver and was frequently absent from the home for his job. The children in the home reported that Amanda Carmack regularly beat them with a belt and forced them to assume stress positions as punishment. She also kept the children confined to their rooms, only allowing them out for food and bathroom breaks; neighbors reported not knowing that seven children lived in the home. Skylea had been confined to her room for a week and a half before her murder.

Skylea’s grandmother, Brenda Helmuth, was worried about Skylea because she was rarely allowed to see her; she reported that Skylea was getting thinner. Helmuth’s adopted child, whom Amanda Carmack regularly babysat, reported that Carmack was “mean” and starved the children. Amanda Carmack justified her abuse of the children on social media: she related one instance where she nearly came to blows with a bystander who witnessed abuse of the children by both Carmacks and threatened to call child services.

On August 31, Amanda Carmack strangled Skylea to death, allegedly because she caught Skylea stealing a charm bracelet. That evening, she went to the police to report that Skylea had run away, which Skylea had reportedly done several times before. After a four-day search, Skylea’s body was found September 4 in a trash bag behind the Carmacks’ home. Amanda Carmack was charged with murder, neglect, battery, and strangulation.

Date: August 31, 2019
Location: Gas City, Indiana

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John and Katrina Miller

A 13-year-old boy, R., was starved, imprisoned, and physically abused by his father, John P. Miller, and his stepmother Katrina M. Miller. R. was homeschooled. R.’s 3-year-old sister was not reported to be abused.

R. was born around 2006 and survived childhood leukemia. R.’s biological parents divorced in 2009 and his mother, Tiffany Miller, lost custody of him. R. went to live with his father and stepmother in Iberia, OH, while two of Tiffany Miller’s daughters lived with R.’s grandparents six miles away in Galion, OH. Around 2016, the Millers pulled R. out of public school to homeschool him, reportedly because of their religious beliefs. Around the same time they cut off R.’s contact with his grandparents and began starving R.

While John Miller had a typical diet, Katrina Miller was vegan. The Millers limited R. to a diet of almonds, bananas, and grapes, six a day, which he was forced to eat within 30 minutes of receiving them. R. reported that the Millers kept a camera trained on the refrigerator so he could not get extra food. If he vomited, he was forced to clean it up. R. was also forced to do extreme exercise and calisthenics. If he didn’t meet the Millers’ expectations about diet and exercise, R.’s father would beat him. When R. was rescued he weighed 62 lbs. and his hair was falling out; he attributed his survival to the meals he had gotten in public school before he was withdrawn to be homeschooled. R. was only allowed out of the house to attend church, where he wore bulky clothes to disguise his emaciated state. The Millers also prevented R. from getting follow-up care for his childhood leukemia, instead consulting an online doctor.

Around 2017, R. ran away from his Iberia home and hitchhiked to his grandparents’ house in Galion. Though R.’s grandfather reported the incident to social services, no intervention was made on R.’s behalf. In 2019, R. ran away again, unscrewing a window in order to escape because “he was afraid he’d starve to death.” Again he hitchhiked to his grandparents’ house, where his grandfather called the authorities to report that R. looked like a ‘Holocaust child’. The Millers were charged with child endangerment, kidnapping, and assault, among other charges.

Date: August 24, 2019
Location: Crestline, Ohio

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Alonzo Maxin and Andrea Arthur

Eight children—ages 10, 9, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1—were beaten, starved, and tortured by their parents, Alonzo Dewite Maxin and Andrea Lynn Arthur. The children were homeschooled.

Arthur and Maxin reportedly “ran away to New Jersey after having their first child.” The family lived in various other places including Georgia, and McMinnville, Tennessee before moving to Manchester. Arthur’s sister Stephanie Hicks, who personally called authorities four times for a welfare check on the children, last saw them on Thanksgiving 2017. Each time a welfare check was performed, the family moved away. The children were severely beaten; they were locked in an empty bedroom at night and their food was rationed. The 10-year-old boy looked like he was 5 due to malnutrition. When they were rescued, the children’s home was filled with animal urine and feces, trash, and roaches; the children had lice. “Arthur stated that she home-schooled the children[; however,] the home school [did] not appear to be legitimate.”

The abuse came to light in August 2019, when a neighbor in the family’s trailer park saw one of the children eating out of the garbage and called the authorities. The neighbors had not previously known any children lived in the home, though the family had been there two years. Arthur and Maxin were charged with aggravated child abuse.

Date: September 17, 2019
Location: Manchester, Tennessee

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Melissa Keister

W., a girl born in 2009, was starved, imprisoned, and abused by her foster mother, Melissa Lin Keister. No charges were filed involving Keister’s husband, Allen Keister, or the six other children who lived in the home. W. was homeschooled.

Keister was active in her church and Milton Little League. Keister’s abuse of W. began in 2015. W. was starved for up to a week at a time: she would eat crumbs off the floor and frozen food because she was starving, and the other children would sneak her food. Keister claimed W. had a mental health disorder that prevented anyone else from feeding her; however, W. gained more than 20 lbs. in two months after she was removed from Keister’s home. On at least 50 occasions, when Keister caught W. eating food she was not supposed to, Keister forced W. to drink vinegar until she vomited. W. was also forced to sleep naked inside a square of tape on the floor in her bedroom; her bedroom had an alarm system, was equipped with a baby monitor, and had a boarded-up window. She was forced to take cold showers at night if she slept on her knees; if she “fell asleep while being home-schooled…she had to run laps around the house or do wall squats,” sometimes for up to two hours. W. was also beaten with a back scratcher and paddle, and on one occasion Keister struck W.’s head against the corner of a desk 20 times. Keister also drugged W. to make her sleep.

W. jumped out a window and ran away from home twice in early 2018; the whole neighborhood searched for her and returned her to her home. Neighbors called the authorities several times to report W.’s abuse, but it was finally investigated after “a home health aide called the Childline in April.” Two other social work professionals who had spent time in the home corroborated the abuse. Keister was charged with child endangerment, neglect, and reckless endangerment.

Date: April 7, 2018
Location: New Columbia, Pennsylvania

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