Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

14 Children of Daniel and Jenise Spurgeon

At least 11 children (9 girls and 2 boys, born between 1997 and 2008) were physically and sexually abused by their adoptive/foster parents, Daniel Wayne Spurgeon and Jenise Rae Spurgeon. The children were homeschooled (though at least some had attended school as late as 2008). The Spurgeons’ three biological children (two boys and a girl, […]

3 Children of Echo Terry

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 […]

3 Children of Jim and Paige Nachtigal

G.N. (a 15-year-old girl), C.N. (an 11-year-old boy), and E.N. (an 11-year-old girl) were beaten, starved, and tortured by their adoptive parents, Jim and Paige Nachtigal. The children were taken out of public school in 2014 to be homeschooled. G.N. was adopted in 2011, and E.N. and C.N. were adopted in 2012 (the children were […]

Shaun Tara and 5 siblings

Shaun Tara, age 6, and his 3-year-old sister Delylah Tara, were murdered by their relative, Tami Joy Huntsman, and 17-year-old Gonzalo Curiel (a statutorily nonconsenting minor who lived with her). Huntsman and Curiel also tortured Shaun’s 9-year-old sister F.T. Huntsman’s 15-year-old son and 12-year-old twins also lived with them. At the time of his death, […]

16 Children of Jonathan and Allison Schumm

Five children between the ages of 5 and 16 were physically abused by Jonathan Robert Schumm and Allison Nicole Schumm. Jonathan Schumm was a Topeka Councilman, Allison Schumm blogged extensively about their lives, and the Schumms had received an Angels in Adoption award in 2013. They had 4 biological children and 10 adopted children (two […]

Victoria Evans, Alloma Gilbert, and Christopher Spry

Victoria Evans (left, b. 1986), Alloma Gilbert (center, b. 1986), and Christopher Spry (right, b. 1989) were tortured, starved, and imprisoned by their adoptive mother, Eunice Spry. All three were homeschooled starting in 1994. The Sprys had two older biological daughters; two adopted daughters, Charlotte and Sarah; and others. Spry took Victoria in as a […]

4 Children of David and ReJeana Moss

Two girls, ages 11 and 13, and a mentally disabled 17-year-old boy were imprisoned, starved, and physically and sexually abused by their adoptive parents, David V. Moss and ReJeana Moss. The Mosses also had a 9-year-old adopted son. The children were homeschooled. The children were adopted around 2004, but the abuse did not begin until […]

Pridine Fru

Actress and talk-show host Pridine Fru (right) was imprisoned and physically and sexually abused by her adoptive parents, Joseph (seated) and Evelyn (left) Djoumessi, from the time she was illegally adopted at age 14 until she was rescued at age 17. During this time, she was forced to live in the Djoumessis’ basement and work […]

Stacy and Jeremy Beckman

Stacy Beckman, age 10, and Jeremy Beckman, age 8, were imprisoned, starved, and physically and sexually abused by their foster parents, Shane and Judy Huxoll. The children had been pulled from school to be homeschooled, which “mostly consisted of crossword puzzles, math problems and learning how to tell time…Every wrong answer resulted in a beating […]

Children of Christine Baughman

An 11-year-old boy was physically and emotionally abused by his adoptive mother, Christine Evelyn Baughman. The boy’s adoptive father, pediatrician Henry Baughman, has not been charged. The boy and his brother were adopted from Ukraine in 2013. The Baughmans’ four children were homeschooled, according to Christine Baughman’s Pinterest profile. The abuse, which included beatings with […]