Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

2 Children of Earnest and Windie Perry

Content note: Case narratives include descriptions of severe violence inflicted on children, including abuse and neglect, sexual violence, torture, and murder, as well as mentions of suicide and domestic violence. They also include photos of victims and perpetrators of violence.

Perry WindiePerry Elizabeth

Windie Perry and her adult adopted daughter, Elizabeth, 20, sexually abused and tortured two adopted girls, aged 11 and 13. They were accused of imprisoning the girls in a dog kennel, tying them to cots, depriving them of food for days at a time, beating them with bats and hammers, torturing them with staple guns, and sexually penetrating them. Earnest and Windie Perry had six adopted children in total. The abuse came to light after one of the girls fled to a neighbor’s house for help after being beaten. Windie homeschooled all of the children, and her pastor and friends from her homeschool co-op responded to the charges with disbelief, asserting that Windie had always been a devoted and kind mother. Windie and Elizabeth were both found guilty of the charges against them; Windie was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Elizabeth was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Date: July 2008
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee

Documents: Date:
Foster Parents Accused Of Torturing Child 2008-07-10
Former APSU security guard, family charged with child abuse, sex abuse 2008-07-10
3 charged with torturing kids 2008-07-11
Pastor urges withholding judgment 2008-07-11
Perrys declare innocence in ‘nightmare’ abuse case 2009-01-11
Perry parental custody case postponed 2009-01-12
Judge orders DCS files turned over in Perry case 2009-01-23
Grand Jury Indictment 2009-03-01
Family charged with torturing adopted children 2009-03-10
Clarksville family faces more than 70 counts of abuse 2009-03-10
State Hands Down Revised Indictment To Perry Family 2009-03-10
Charges added to family accused of child abuse 2009-03-11
Hearing set in Perry cases 2009-04-30
Mental evaluation ordered in child torture case 2009-09-02
Trial set in child torture case 2010-07-01
Child abuse, rape trial begins this month in Montgomery County 2011-04-09
Second teen testifies about abuse in Clarksville child abuse, torture trial 2012-01-19
TBI agent testifies about DNA 2012-01-19
Perrys receive mixed verdict, Windie and Elizabeth convicted, Ernest acquitted 2012-01-28
Mother, Daughter Sentenced On Abuse Charges 2012-04-05