Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Shane Graham and 10 Siblings

Shane Graham, age 11, disappeared in 1999 or 2000. He had autism, Down’s Syndrome, and sickle-cell anemia. His adoptive mother, Judith Leekin, is believed to have murdered him and buried him in the yard of one of her houses, although his body has not been found. Leekin also abused 10 other adopted special needs children. Leekin adopted eleven […]

Child of Daniel Ballard

When police went to a trailer park in Louisiana to evict Daniel Ballard, they found a malnourished 14-year-old boy who weighed only 60 pounds and had untreated infected injuries on his arms and foot. The trailer’s conditions were filthy, and had no food or running water. Ballard claimed he was homeschooling the boy, who was […]

Madeline Kara Neumann

Madeline Kara Neumann, 11, died of undiagnosed diabetes at the home of her parents, Leilani and Dave Neumann. She had been growing weak for several weeks prior to her death, but her parents—Pentecostal Christians who were associated with the Unleavened Bread Ministry—declined to get medical help for her due to their belief that visiting a […]

Hannah, Noah, Mollie, and Josiah Carroll

On September 21, 1992, six year old Hannah Carroll died of severe bleach burns, which covered one third of her body and were left untreated for three days. Hannah, who had Down syndrome, was one of ten special needs children adopted by Kathleen and Timothy Carroll, a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling couple. In the three months […]

Christina Corrigan

On November 19, 1996, Marlene Corrigan called 911 to report that she could not wake her 13 year old daughter, Christina. Investigators found the girl dead, covered in bedsores, and surrounded by filthy conditions. In response to her daughter’s growing weight, Marlene had withdrawn her from school to homeschool her over a year earlier. Marlene […]

3 Children of Laurie Williamson

As early as 2000, Laurie Williamson’s eldest son’s teacher began expressing concern about him as they watched a once-happy preschooler become thin and withdrawn. Williamson responded by withdrawing him from school and homeschooling all three of her children. By the time Williamson’s three children—Tom, Roger, and Chrissy—were 11, 9, and 6, they were on a […]

Willie Robinson

8 year old Willie Robinson, who died of pneumonia due to Hodgkin’s lymphoma, would have survived if given proper cancer treatment. His parents, Monica Hussing and William Robinson Sr., had not provided Willie or their five other children, ages 5, 6, 7, 13, and 14, with medical care in three years. After receiving a concerned […]

Molly Holt

10 year old Molly Holt died in a house fire while her parents and two siblings escaped. When firefighters found her charred body under debris, they found that she had been chained to her bed by her ankles. Molly’s mother, Teresa Dick, was convicted of manslaughter and false imprisonment. Molly’s father, Lloyd Lee Holt, denied […]

Child of Robert Hohn and Shannon Watterson

A 12-year-old boy was locked in a bare room for three months by his father, Robert Hohn, and his stepmother, Shannon Watterson. The windows were screwed shut, the door handle was installed backward, and the boy was only let out for small meals and brief bathroom visits. The abuse came to light when the boy […]

Christopher Forder

Kimberly Ann Forder called 911 after her 8 year old underweight adopted son, Christopher Forder, died on the bedroom floor of untreated pneumonia in circumstances that a local sheriff called “sheer torture.” The boy’s body was found to be covered with bruises. The family, which homeschooled and home-churched, claimed to be practicing faith healing, that […]