Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Olivia Farrell

Olivia Farrell (pictured), b. around 2001, was beaten and imprisoned by her adoptive parents, Neil and Janet Farrell. Olivia was homeschooled. Olivia’s three older sisters, who were also adopted, were not reported to be abused. The Farrells began caring for Olivia when she was 5 months old. Janet Farrell had previously been a certified teacher […]

Elwyn and Mary Crocker

The bodies of Elwyn Crocker, Jr., b. 2002, and Mary Crocker, b. 2004, were discovered in December 2018. The children’s father, Elwyn Crocker, Sr., his wife Candice Crocker, Candice Crocker’s mother Kim Wright, and Wright’s boyfriend Roy Anthony Prater, were arrested in connection with the children’s deaths. The children were homeschooled. The children’s disabled half-brother, […]

Boy by David Eidens

A 12-year-old boy was repeatedly sexually assaulted by his babysitter/homeschool teacher, David Peter Eidens (pictured). Eidens, who was a friend of the family, had an agreement with the boy’s parents to babysit and homeschool him. The abuse came to light when the boy’s father walked in during a sexual assault. Investigators discovered that Eidens had […]

Son of Charlie Mayes

A 16-year-old boy was physically abused by his father, military veteran Charlie Mayes. The boy was forced to carry a heavy stone for miles in hot weather as punishment for failing to do his schoolwork. The boy “had a history of problems at school” and was homeschooled. The abuse came to light when a pizza […]

4 Children of Raymond and Ida Thurmond

Four children, ages 14, 13, 12, and 9, were beaten, imprisoned, starved, and medically neglected by their father, Raymond Daniel Thurmond, and their mother, Ida Thurmond. (The two oldest children were Raymond’s from a previous marriage; the 12-year-old was Ida’s from a previous marriage; and the youngest child was their biological child.) Though Ida claimed […]

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 […]

Gregory Jean Jr.

Gregory Jean Jr., age 13, was imprisoned, starved, beaten, and forced to work as a maid for four years by his father, Gregory Jean Sr., and his stepmother Samantha Joy Davis. Davis’ biological children were also abused—she “was on probation for cutting her biological son’s tongue with a pair of hot scissors in 2004”—but they […]

11 Children of Jeremy and Christine Long

Six girls and five boys, ages 10 months to 18 years, were severely neglected by their parents, Jeremy and Christine Long. The children were second-generation homeschoolers—their father, Jeremy Long, had been homeschooled and wanted the same for his children. However, when the children were rescued, they were illiterate and “didn’t know the days of the […]

2 Children of James and Anne Cardona

Two girls, ages 5 and 4, were neglected by their parents, James and Anne Cardona. The Cardonas claimed to be homeschooling them. The 5-year-old had rotten teeth and hair that was matted and filled with lice; the 4-year-old was still in diapers. The girls were severely obese and had difficulty walking: the 5-year-old weighed 158 […]

Child of Recardo and Therian Wimbush

Recardo and Therian Wimbush locked their oldest son in a lightless basement room for almost two years with only a bucket for a toilet. The boy was 13 when the ordeal ended. His siblings were not included in the allegations. All 10 children were homeschooled; however, the Wimbush’s oldest son had not received any instruction since he was […]