# California couple charged with torture after police rescue 13 children. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724 "2018-01-16T01:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/41 "2018-01-18T02:24:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > In my area a child’s body was discovered under a tool shed in a mobile home park. It turned out that the child had lived and died entirely off the grid - there was no record of his birth or death, no school records, no doctor records… the neighbors were unaware of the couple who owned the shed having had a child. After a bunch of detective work (including DNA sampling, apparently) it was determined the child was the offspring of the two owners and had probably lived to be around 7 or so before his death. > > So this sort of thing probably goes on a lot more often than we’re aware of, because clearly it is possible to hide this sort of thing for years and years. I think I’ve heard this story, this was like 4 years ago or so around Calumet City? I hope it is the same story and not another. Sick people. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/42 "2018-01-18T14:12:32Z")
[Pictures of their house in Fort Worth.](https://nypost.com/2018/01/17/inside-the-california-couples-eerie-original-horror-house/) I imagine there will be investigation at that location too. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/43 "2018-01-18T14:44:10Z")
New Jersey was shocked by the discovery of [The Collingswood Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collingswood_Boys), four adotive children who were being starved by their “parents.” The tape of the 911 call is chilling. When the operator asked the neighbor who made it after discovering one of the boys digging in his garbage can for food how old the child is, he replies “About 10.” When the boy responds “I’m 17,” the guy totally loses it “You’re 17. Oh my God, he says he’s 17. He looks about ten years old. Oh, Jesus.” ---
**Author:** ![CuriousYellow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@CuriousYellow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousYellow)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/44 "2018-01-18T15:24:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That picture of them renewing their vows, with their kids all around them in matching dresses, with their faces blurred out, is one of the creepiest images I’ve ever seen. It’s not so bad when you can see their faces… until you realise some of them are in their twenties. > **[Parents arrested after cops find 12 siblings shackled to beds](https://nypost.com/2018/01/15/parents-arrested-after-cops-find-12-siblings-shackled-to-beds/)** > > A shocking scene of filth and depravity was uncovered in a quiet California neighborhood — where a dozen emaciated siblings were found shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks after a 13th m… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/45 "2018-01-18T15:27:29Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > I think I’ve heard this story, this was like 4 years ago or so around Calumet City? I hope it is the same story and not another. No, the one I mentioned happened on the south edge of Gary. It really stuck in my mind because the mobile home park was one of the ones I worked for Census and I, like so many other people, had walked by the shed with the dead boy under it many times. There could be another one from Calumet City - as I said, these things probably happen more often than we realize, or want to know. > [@](#): > > Sick people. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/46 "2018-01-18T15:51:52Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > New Jersey was shocked by the discovery of [The Collingswood Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collingswood_Boys), four adotive children who were being starved by their “parents.” The tape of the 911 call is chilling. When the operator asked the neighbor who made it after discovering one of the boys digging in his garbage can for food how old the child is, he replies “About 10.” When the boy responds “I’m 17,” the guy totally loses it “You’re 17. Oh my God, he says he’s 17. He looks about ten years old. Oh, Jesus.” I am in no way defending the parents of the child in this post or the parents of the 13 children in this thread. I do believe all these children are very malnourished. I feel this is an extremely sad story and I hope that by some miracle these poor kids/adults have some sort of chance of ending up with a normal life. However, some healthy, well-fed teens look like children. I am living proof. When I got my first drivers license at 16, I was 5’2" and 85 lbs. I’m male. You have to get all the way up to 102 lbs to get out of the “underweight” BMI range. I looked like a 10 year old and ate a ton of food. When I was 19, I was 6’3" and 135 lbs. I’m now much older and around 190 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/47 "2018-01-18T16:42:35Z")
How in heck does dad’s salary support 15 people? Even if the kids got just one meal a day and no other perks like nice clothes, there’s still cars, car insurance, mortgage, utilities, etc. California is a hideously expensive place to live. I reckon an engineer makes about $110k. My take home on a slightly higher salary is $52-66k, which certainly couldn’t support 15 people ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/48 "2018-01-18T18:20:13Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > How in heck does dad’s salary support 15 people? Even if the kids got just one meal a day and no other perks like nice clothes, there’s still cars, car insurance, mortgage, utilities, etc. California is a hideously expensive place to live. They don’t drive much being chained in the house, nor do they need much room. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/49 "2018-01-18T18:28:38Z")
The NBC News article on this said they were allowed to shower twice a year. That’d save a lot on the water bill. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/50 "2018-01-18T18:43:24Z")
In any of these cases mentioned along with the OP, are there ever any questioning of the parents about WHY they did this? ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/51 "2018-01-18T19:13:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They don’t drive much being chained in the house, nor do they need much room. But the parents drive and someone has to pay for the matching sister wives -style haute couture and rent/mortgage. Feeding your brood, even if just once a day, takes appreciable moola. As would maintenance of pop’s deranged sexxxy kangaroo 'do. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/52 "2018-01-18T19:15:14Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > What I find very disturbing is none of the neighbors did anything when they saw all kind of strange things going on in the house ! Y’know y’know, growing up there were a couple of freaky families in the general neighborhood. If someone can be abusive to their own children, how do you think they might treat a meddling neighbor? In our case, trying to be friendly got a pistol pointed at us. So, unless you want to get on freak-ass neighbor’s bad side, and turn it into a an ongoing battle zone, you keep to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/53 "2018-01-18T19:37:02Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > But the parents drive and someone has to pay for the matching sister wives -style haute couture and rent/mortgage. Feeding your brood, even if just once a day, takes appreciable moola. > > As would maintenance of pop’s deranged sexxxy kangaroo 'do. Perhaps they get a lower price for buying clothing in bulk. Make the girls do the alterations. Take in sewing for them. They are underfed. I don’t know the cost on that. Baloney instead of cheeseburgers and pizza. I think the Cap’n cut is done with a soup bowl. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/54 "2018-01-19T13:33:42Z")
This just keeps getting worse and worse and I fear we are nowhere near the bottom. [All the kids’ names start with J](https://www.yahoo.com/news/grandparents-shocked-reports-13-starved-grandchildren-072953674.html). Gee, where have we seen that before? Some of the kids didn’t know what a [police officer was](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-torture-house-13-siblings-allowed-eat-once-day-shower-n838671). The youngest is not malnourished. Thank Og for small favors. The father has also been charged with one count of a lewd attack on a minor. Yeah, I’m sure there was only the one instance. They were allowed to shower once a year, punished for washing their hands (the sperm and egg donor called that “playing with water”) but, interestingly enough, were allowed to keep journals. In the words of Lt. Joe Kenda, “I want to read those.” I also think California is going to have to look into the licensing of home schools. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/55 "2018-01-19T14:18:03Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > … (the sperm and egg donor called that “playing with water”) … I am afraid to acknowledge the “parents” may be that in name only for some of them. Perhaps DNA tests will unravel who’s kid is who’s, biologically speaking. It reminds me of the [Fritzl case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl_case). Also, as some have already alluded, there may be dead ones buried at the home in CA and the one in TX. I agree, we have not reached the bottom of this depravity. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/56 "2018-01-19T14:24:58Z")
Decades ago I read Bob Greene’s article on the Lattie McGee case, and it will stay with me forever. If you’re interested, you can google it, but it’s so damn horrible that I still get angry when I think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/57 "2018-01-19T14:44:57Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > [All the kids’ names start with J](https://www.yahoo.com/news/grandparents-shocked-reports-13-starved-grandchildren-072953674.html). Gee, where have we seen that before? I don’t know. Where? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/58 "2018-01-19T14:48:22Z")
[Meet the Duggar family](http://www.duggarfamily.com/about): Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace and Josie. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/59 "2018-01-19T14:59:50Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Decades ago I read Bob Greene’s article on the Lattie McGee case, and it will stay with me forever. If you’re interested, you can google it, but it’s so damn horrible that I still get angry when I think of it. Good God. I could only get two paragraphs into that story. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724/60 "2018-01-19T15:05:19Z")
I sort of wonder what made the two kids who escaped (well, one who escaped and one who was going to but chickened out) know what to do, where to go, how to do it, and gave them the basic premise that “this whole situation is fucked up”. The family couldn’t completely shut out the outside world but they tried their darndest to do it. I’m so curious about what it was that sparked this kid into action! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-couple-charged-with-torture-after-police-rescue-13-children/806724.md?page=4)