Three girls–V.T. (b. 2004), J.T. (b. 2005), and M.T. (b. 2010)–were starved and imprisoned by their adoptive mother, Echo Marie Terry. Their infant sister, Ma.T., was not reported to be abused. The girls were homeschooled.

Terry became the foster mother of the three girls–biological sisters–in 2011 and formally adopted them in 2013. The abuse began shortly after their adoption, in August 2013, when Terry changed their names and withdrew them from school to homeschool them. Terry imprisoned the girls in their rooms and denied them food for long periods of time. She also forbade them from eating dairy, gluten, corn, or soy, despite the lack of a medical reason for doing so. When they were rescued, the girls were suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration and had bruises and lacerations. The abuse came to light when V.T. escaped in September 2014 and reported it to authorities.

Terry was arrested April 12, 2016, after being indicted on charges of assault and child endangerment.

Date: September 2014
Location: Anchorage, Alaska

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