Horrific story of abandoned children

[DawnM]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/25/us/abandoned-children-texas-apartment/index.html

[Corraleno]

I don't understand why the mother and boyfriend were "interviewed and released" instead of being arrested for child endangerment? And surely there must be some kind of charges related to having a decomposing corpse in your apartment for a year???  My heart just breaks for those poor kids.

[Emba]

The story just said “interviewed”, I think. Surely with a dead child they wouldn’t be released.

 This is so awful, I can’t even imagine what those kids have been going through

Edited October 26, 2021 by Emba

[Corraleno]

Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the mother and her boyfriend were released:

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/25/mother-of-3-children-found-living-with-skeletal-remains-of-9-year-old-sibling-questioned-and-released/

[katilac]

15 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I don't understand why the mother and boyfriend were "interviewed and released" instead of being arrested for child endangerment?  

Probably so they can build a case. 

[Carrie12345]

An apartment. Where were all the neighbors???

I am FAR from an involved neighbor, but I have eyes and ears and a basic sense of my immediate neighbors’ situations even though we’re on lots of over an acre with woods separating all of us. I’ve also lived in apartments of various configurations. I can’t fathom not noticing that half a family has “disappeared” from an adjoining unit.

I also don’t see how building a case necessitates freedom. How is a child’s decomposing body not sufficient for at least 1 charge. Plenty of more obscure cases are built while pending trial.  
(Obviously I’m not a lawyer!)

[mathmarm]

6 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I don't understand why the mother and boyfriend were "interviewed and released" instead of being arrested for child endangerment?

 

6 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the mother and her boyfriend were released:

 

3 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I also don’t see how building a case necessitates freedom.

Perhaps the mom was not the custodial parent? That's the only thing that kinda makes sense to me about this situation is that the mom was not the custodial parent. So, perhaps the father or grandparents had custody of the children? Maybe?

Obviously I don't know.

Frankly I regret clicking on this link, this is awful and it makes my stomach turn and my heart ache just thinking about these poor children.

[Drama Llama]

 . . . 

Edited October 26, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

An apartment. Where were all the neighbors???

I am FAR from an involved neighbor, but I have eyes and ears and a basic sense of my immediate neighbors’ situations even though we’re on lots of over an acre with woods separating all of us. I’ve also lived in apartments of various configurations. I can’t fathom not noticing that half a family has “disappeared” from an adjoining unit.

I also don’t see how building a case necessitates freedom. How is a child’s decomposing body not sufficient for at least 1 charge. Plenty of more obscure cases are built while pending trial.  
(Obviously I’m not a lawyer!)

And a rotting corpse.   The smell alone should have triggered some police calls.

[saraha]

I saw this last night and wondered how the school hadn’t noticed. There seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes here, like they released the mother, so maybe she didn’t have custody and was like I didn’t know, but they haven’t mentioned who then was responsible. Those poor kids, that 15 year old is impressive!

[HS Mom in NC]

2 hours ago, saraha said:

I saw this last night and wondered how the school hadn’t noticed. There seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes here, like they released the mother, so maybe she didn’t have custody and was like I didn’t know, but they haven’t mentioned who then was responsible. Those poor kids, that 15 year old is impressive!

If they had never been registered for school or if they had withdrawn the children from school and moved and not registered them in the new location, or if claimed to be moving when withdrawing the children, then they stayed in the same location, the school wouldn't have any way of knowing.

[saraha]

2 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

If they had never been registered for school or if they had withdrawn the children from school and moved and not registered them in the new location, or if claimed to be moving when withdrawing the children, then they stayed in the same location, the school wouldn't have any way of knowing.

You’re right

[DawnM]

4 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

If they had never been registered for school or if they had withdrawn the children from school and moved and not registered them in the new location, or if claimed to be moving when withdrawing the children, then they stayed in the same location, the school wouldn't have any way of knowing.

Our school districts here wont' allow parents with fully withdraw until we get notice from the new school that they have enrolled.

[Farrar]

I also wondered if the mother was not the custodial parent and maybe the father had been abusive and she had not been in the picture for awhile. It's the only thing I could think that made any sense with that.

And let's be honest, lack of homeschool regulations makes it easier to hide this type of abuse, especially in a state with zero notification laws like Texas. No one would think it was weird the kids weren't in school. It's Texas. I'm sure the pandemic has also exacerbated a lack of expectations around this. I know in many jurisdictions they're dealing with kids who left when the pandemic started and then vanished from the school records.

[HS Mom in NC]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Our school districts here wont' allow parents with fully withdraw until we get notice from the new school that they have enrolled.

How would the school know where they're moving to? They could move anywhere locally or anywhere else in the world.

If they register as homeschoolers, the school would have no way of keeping up with them.

[TheReader]

34 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Our school districts here wont' allow parents with fully withdraw until we get notice from the new school that they have enrolled.

But if the school was told they were homeschooling, or something, that wouldn't be possible. 

32 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I also wondered if the mother was not the custodial parent and maybe the father had been abusive and she had not been in the picture for awhile. It's the only thing I could think that made any sense with that.

And let's be honest, lack of homeschool regulations makes it easier to hide this type of abuse, especially in a state with zero notification laws like Texas. No one would think it was weird the kids weren't in school. It's Texas. I'm sure the pandemic has also exacerbated a lack of expectations around this. I know in many jurisdictions they're dealing with kids who left when the pandemic started and then vanished from the school records.

On the one had, yes, on the other hand, let's not blame it on lack of regulations -- don't most states with rules have things like end of year testing, or end of year hours reporting, or things like that? So, mid-fall, no one would be checking anyway and all the regulations in the world wouldn't have changed things for these particular kids. 

You're right about the pandemic, though; many districts went to virtual last year, and then a lot of folks just didn't return, so I imagine they could have fallen through the cracks that way.  

[TheReader]

3 hours ago, saraha said:

I saw this last night and wondered how the school hadn’t noticed. There seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes here, like they released the mother, so maybe she didn’t have custody and was like I didn’t know, but they haven’t mentioned who then was responsible. Those poor kids, that 15 year old is impressive!

I keep wondering why it took the 15 yr old so long to reach out for help, though. 

[vonfirmath]

6 minutes ago, TheReader said:

I keep wondering why it took the 15 yr old so long to reach out for help, though. 

Trying to handle things on his own. Being afraid his family would be separated.

Dear Mr. Henshaw puts you in the head of a teen aged girl who is going to school everyday and yet does not tell/reach out for help for a large part of a school year when she nad her brother are abandoned.

[Drama Llama]

. . . 

Edited October 26, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[prairiewindmomma]

54 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Our school districts here wont' allow parents with fully withdraw until we get notice from the new school that they have enrolled.

In Texas, you can, at least I did when we moved a few years ago.

[Corraleno]

https://abc7chicago.com/abandoned-children-houston-9-year-old-dead-skeletal-remains-found-harris-county/11169206/

Lots of new details in this report:

Truancy reports were filed on the mother in 2019 and 2020; kids were last enrolled in school in May 2020.

One neighbor complained to management about the horrible smell for at least a year, but nothing was done. She said the smell was so bad she would turn off her AC to keep it out of her apartment.

Two neighbors who gave him food said they never saw the other kids and and didn't know the teen had siblings. They say he was very afraid of being poisoned and would only eat packaged food from the store, not anything home cooked.

The mother does appear to be the custodial parent, the 15 yr old said his mother had moved out months ago. The mother and boyfriend live 15 minutes away, and residents said she would occasionally drop off food that the 15 yr old would come down and pick up.

Before calling the police, the 15 yr old texted his mother saying he couldn't take it any more.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Corraleno

[Idalou]

50 minutes ago, TheReader said:

I keep wondering why it took the 15 yr old so long to reach out for help, though. 

 I would guess he or she would be used to taking care of the kids. Reports said the adults hadnt lived there in months, but I'm thinking it's possible they'd show up occasionally and toss a bit of money at him for food. The news also said the electricity was on until a couple weeks ago, when neighbors started helping the kids and charging the phone for them. It is so sad a child feels that living in those conditions is better than calling the police, and that neighbors who were helpng them also chose that over cps.

Edited - just saw someone posted more info

Edited October 26, 2021 by Idalou

[stephanier.1765]

They said the younger children presented with injuries. One had facial fractures. If the mother and boyfriend weren't around, does that mean the 15 yo is responsible? I can see how a frustrated teen who has been exposed to or the victim of physical abuse would resort to hitting their sibling. I hope I'm way of base about that and that the injuries are old ones left over from the adults. I wonder too if the teen was afraid he would be blamed for the death of the 9 yo. In all likelihood, that's what the adults told him to keep him in check. I can't even imagine the mind games they played with him. Those poor children! They will probably need help for the rest of their lives.

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, TheReader said:

But if the school was told they were homeschooling, or something, that wouldn't be possible. 

Here it would be possible.   We aren't allowed to un-enroll them unless they have registered with the state to homeschool and come in with their homeschool ID number.

[skimomma]

2 hours ago, TheReader said:

 

On the one had, yes, on the other hand, let's not blame it on lack of regulations -- don't most states with rules have things like end of year testing, or end of year hours reporting, or things like that?

I know nothing about this story nor do I have a real opinion on homeschool regulation, but I can say in my state, that no we never had to notify anyone, ever, that we were homeschooling.  No testing.  No hours reported.  No registering as a homeschooler.  Nothing.  My dd has graduated (as in, I issued a diploma) and is a college student now but as far as our state in concerned, she did not exist as a "student" in any official capacity.  I believe there are 14-ish states that fall into this category.

[TheReader]

10 minutes ago, skimomma said:

I know nothing about this story nor do I have a real opinion on homeschool regulation, but I can say in my state, that no we never had to notify anyone, ever, that we were homeschooling.  No testing.  No hours reported.  No registering as a homeschooler.  Nothing.  My dd has graduated (as in, I issued a diploma) and is a college student now but as far as our state in concerned, she did not exist as a "student" in any official capacity.  I believe there are 14-ish states that fall into this category.

right, it's the same in Texas, but another poster was saying that this lack of reporting is partly at fault/makes it easier for folks in Texas to get away with abuse/neglect, since we don't have to report our homeschool status. 

I was asking if the states with rules/reporting guidelines/etc actually had rules for reporting that would involve someone in authority checking in throughout the year, b/c my understanding is that, for those states with rules on reporting, it's primarily file an intent to homeschool (which this family could have done in whatever state), and then file end-of-year reports of some sort, with no real "hey, it's October, how's it going" kind of check-in --- in other words, that the lack of rules/regulations/reporting requirements here is actually not really at play at all. 

[Faith-manor]

2 hours ago, skimomma said:

I know nothing about this story nor do I have a real opinion on homeschool regulation, but I can say in my state, that no we never had to notify anyone, ever, that we were homeschooling.  No testing.  No hours reported.  No registering as a homeschooler.  Nothing.  My dd has graduated (as in, I issued a diploma) and is a college student now but as far as our state in concerned, she did not exist as a "student" in any official capacity.  I believe there are 14-ish states that fall into this category.

Same here. Two of my kids attended a Lutheran school for a couple of years while I taught, but that wasn't really on the state radar. In total, I home schooled 19 years getting every single one to college, youngest graduates in May, and in all that time, my kids did not exist educationally as far as the state was concerned. They did have state id's before they turned 16, and passports as well, but that would be normal for a ton of kids, and would not cause anyone to be looking for my child. 

I have personally watched my own grand niece go through the horror of being the parentified child as a mere 11 year old because of her mother's untreated bipolar psychosis. She is a public school student, and not only had there ever been any effort on the school's part to figure out why she missed two straight months of school last spring despite being in enrolled in person, phone calls from family members - my mother, my brother (her grandfather), myself, and her biological father went entirely unheeded by social services. My niece's situation is such that I could easily see her taking off on those kids and the 11 year old attempting to care for her sisters without reaching out for help for a long time. She is very attached to her little sisters and greatly fears being separated from them because they have a different bio dad from her so there is zero chance they will be kept together.

[kiwik]

6 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

How would the school know where they're moving to? They could move anywhere locally or anywhere else in the world.

If they register as homeschoolers, the school would have no way of keeping up with them.

Here the child stays on the roll until the next school registers the child OR the parent applies for and is granted permission to homeschool the child.  In theory a child not enrolled or in receipt of an exemption by 6 and under 16 would be noticed but kids who move a lot do fall through the cracks 

[kiwik]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Same here. Two of my kids attended a Lutheran school for a couple of years while I taught, but that wasn't really on the state radar. In total, I home schooled 19 years getting every single one to college, youngest graduates in May, and in all that time, my kids did not exist educationally as far as the state was concerned. They did have state id's before they turned 16, and passports as well, but that would be normal for a ton of kids, and would not cause anyone to be looking for my child. 

I have personally watched my own grand niece go through the horror of being the parentified child as a mere 11 year old because of her mother's untreated bipolar psychosis. She is a public school student, and not only had there ever been any effort on the school's part to figure out why she missed two straight months of school last spring despite being in enrolled in person, phone calls from family members - my mother, my brother (her grandfather), myself, and her biological father went entirely unheeded by social services. My niece's situation is such that I could easily see her taking off on those kids and the 11 year old attempting to care for her sisters without reaching out for help for a long time. She is very attached to her little sisters and greatly fears being separated from them because they have a different bio dad from her so there is zero chance they will be kept together.

The Lutheran school wasn't registered and inspected by the state?  Surely there are health and safety regulations and well as child welfare ones.

[Faith-manor]

5 minutes ago, kiwik said:

The Lutheran school wasn't registered and inspected by the state?  Surely there are health and safety regulations and well as child welfare ones.

Yes, but religious schools do not have to report enrollment. Secular private schools might have to, but not parochial. Michigan has a very very hands off approach to parochial schools. I could tell you horror stories about the A.C.E. one two blocks from my house! Basically, meet fire code, water testing, that kind of thing. 

[Hilltopmom]

With the pandemic, our district is no longer reporting kids truant (even though we’re going on year 3). We have a few who are supposed to be “remote” students who we have not heard from all year and admin  won’t make a report to CPS.

 

[Corraleno]

"the medical examiner's ruled the 9-year-old's manner of death was homicide, caused by multiple blunt force injuries"

https://abc13.com/houston-abandoned-children-child-skeleton-boy-death-brothers-live-with-corpse/11169868/

[Corraleno]

Boyfriend has been charged with murder, mother charged with injury to a child by omission, failure to provide medical care, failure to provide supervision, and tampering with evidence / human corpse

Edited October 27, 2021 by Corraleno

[kiwik]

11 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Yes, but religious schools do not have to report enrollment. Secular private schools might have to, but not parochial. Michigan has a very very hands off approach to parochial schools. I could tell you horror stories about the A.C.E. one two blocks from my house! Basically, meet fire code, water testing, that kind of thing. 

I see.  Here their are very few of any schools that aren't at least partly government funded.  That means registered teachers and funding based on enrolment so reporting of numbers.  Kids still fall through the cracks though so it is hardly perfect. But the child has to be reported enrolled somewhere or have an exemption certificate. But with Covid I bet there are more missing kids.

Edited October 27, 2021 by kiwik

[Carrie12345]

15 hours ago, TheReader said:

right, it's the same in Texas, but another poster was saying that this lack of reporting is partly at fault/makes it easier for folks in Texas to get away with abuse/neglect, since we don't have to report our homeschool status. 

I was asking if the states with rules/reporting guidelines/etc actually had rules for reporting that would involve someone in authority checking in throughout the year, b/c my understanding is that, for those states with rules on reporting, it's primarily file an intent to homeschool (which this family could have done in whatever state), and then file end-of-year reports of some sort, with no real "hey, it's October, how's it going" kind of check-in --- in other words, that the lack of rules/regulations/reporting requirements here is actually not really at play at all. 

PA is considered a “high regulation” state because people are defensive about (imo) stupid things. ONE person is required to see my children ONCE a year. I get to choose that person (with qualifications.) There are probably a dozen ways for a mentally competent but abusive parent to work around that.  
I say mentally competent, because it’s unlikely that a parent who is “checked out” and can’t plot won’t eventually be checked up on.

[DawnM]

13 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Boyfriend has been charged with murder, mother charged with injury to a child by omission, failure to provide medical care, failure to provide supervision, and tampering with evidence / human corpse

Good.    I hope answers come forward.

[Corraleno]

The more details come out the worse it gets. Williams (mother) and Coulter (boyfriend) have been together for several years, during which Coulter frequently and severely beat the kids. He beat the 8 yr old to death, in front of his siblings, in November of last year, then just covered the body with a blanket and left it there. They continued to live there, with the rotting body, for 5-6 months, then Williams and Coulter moved out and left the surviving kids in a filthy, unfurnished, roach-infested apartment with the corpse of their brother. Police say the kids didn't even have any blankets or bedding. Williams would occasionally drop off food, and Coulter continued to beat them — the 10 yr old was punched in the face, fracturing his jaw, a few weeks ago, and due to lack of medical care now needs surgery. Williams' explanation for failing to notify authorities when her son was killed: Coulter told her not to, she didn't want CPS to take the other kids, and she didn't want to go to jail. 

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/27/woman-man-charged-after-childs-remains-were-found-inside-apartment-expected-to-appear-in-court-wednesday/

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Corraleno

[Farrar]

This story is just so out there. I get that dark things happen, but it's shocking that this just kept going on like this for so long.

[Faith-manor]

The female biological contributor (mother does not seem like an appropriate term) and Lord Voldemort the boyfriend from hell should rot in prison, and by that, I mean something along the lines of Alcatraz would be too good for them.

[Melissa in Australia]

Those poor poor boys

 how brave of the older one to overcome his fear of being beaten to death to call for help.

 

my heart weeps for those boys 😢

Edited October 28, 2021 by Melissa in Australia

[Corraleno]

This is the beautiful little boy who was savagely beaten and kicked to death by Brian Coulter. According to Gloria Williams' family, Kendrick was autistic and mostly nonverbal, and her cousin says they begged Williams to let other family members take care of him but she refused. One of the other boys is also autistic and her family believes she was getting disability checks for them (another reason why she wouldn't want to report Kendrick's death). She also has two daughters: the oldest left home a couple of years ago and the grandmother has custody of the youngest. According to her cousin, Williams was estranged from the rest of the family, she would only contact them occasionally when she wanted money, and they didn't know where she was living. Those poor kids were failed by so many people on so many levels.

[Carrie12345]

2 hours ago, Corraleno said:

d her cousin says they begged Williams to let other family members take care of him but she refused.... She also has two daughters: the oldest left home a couple of years ago and the grandmother has custody of the youngest. According to her cousin, Williams was estranged from the rest of the family, she would only contact them occasionally when she wanted money, and they didn't know where she was living. Those poor kids were failed by so many people on so many levels.

As a relative of children who have been involved in the system multiple times, this hits so, so deep this morning.

I have 0 information with which to request a well check. I’m not legally permitted information other than if/that there is no open, active case in the specific county/state I might call. In active cases, I could be passed over if the parent convinces social workers to pass me over. For years, I have sent reminders to multiple county’s agencies that I exist, just in case. That’s all I can do.

Neighbors and/or teachers are truly my only hope if the kids are ever in need of help again.