I just finished reading this thread and it brought me to tears. I've become what I would call slightly immune to things over the years, reading on here and just seeing horse abuse and suffering for years, but this was hard to read. The pictures of that poor boy's room--said it all. I hope he was insane and wasn't cognizant of what was happening. Surely being locked away like that deprived of anything at all would have affected his sanity. That room was empty…was there no TV or books or computer or toys or ANYTHING to occupy his time and mind? You would think he would throw tantrums and scream and scream and scream. Neighbors didn't hear him? I wonder if he was gagged or something so he couldn't attract attention. Was there a window he could break? I'm going to have to go back and look at the pictures.
I just don't see how a person who was born and there is a birth certificate, documentation on at least their arrival in this world can just be disappeared without someone asking where he is or why isn't he in school or having vaccinations or something. Were they receiving disability checks for this boy and if so, than doesn't the state require physicals or anything periodically? If ANY of the kids were receiving those checks, isn't there someone checking on the kids and making sure the disability is still there or that they are healthy or something? I have no experience or knowledge of disability or how it works but I wouldn't think that once they are approved the state just blindly keeps sending money without renewing the case and making sure everything is still the way it should be.
If the DHS was involved at some point, did they not KNOW how many children where born to this couple and insist on seeing all of them? If they checked the house, why would they not want to see all of it? There was a whole floor she didn't look at? WTF??? I sincerely hope whomever that worker is, she faces some kind of consequence for her obvious neglect in checking ALL of the children and clearing the case. She was just plain lazy or didn't care. And she obviously doesn't have a good instinct for liars or hinky behavior. You'd think she would have seen it all and just know something isn't right, at least enough to investigate further.
I am not going to say I have no sympathy for MOM, as I have a little bit of experience with being controlled and feeling like there is no way out. It sounds like she wasn't supposed to leave the house to go to store so I do think that there is an abuse issue with her too, not to mention that by now she can't be all there mentally. I do think she needs to be held accountable for her part and she definitely does not need children, now or in the future, but I don't have the rage towards her that I have towards the husband.
Sigh. I'm sorry if this post is a little all over the place, I'm just typing as I think. I still don't get how something like this went on for so long and unrecognized.