From comments I’ve read, it sounds to me like the kids are significantly educationally deprived and emotionally stunted, but not intellectually disabled. They could well be capable of memorizing large chunks of text – assuming they could read it, which seems doubtful.
In any case, the bible verse story comes from the grandparents, so, as I said earlier, I take it with a large grain of salt. That may be what the grandparents were told (i.e, a kid referred to “punishments” in front of the GPs and the parents claimed that was the punishments were), or it may be an exaggeration. It certainly isn’t recent information, as the grandparents haven’t seen the kids in 5 years, as I understand it.
It also sounds like this was a situation that was bad for a long time, but that had escalated over the years. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the kids had different skill levels. The oldest girl was in public school through third grade, and some of the kids were required to keep journals during punishments, so obviously they had some reading and writing ability. The oldest son was even enrolled in a CC class - music, I think, but it still suggests he was literate. The 17 year old, on the other hand, was described at being on a first grade level, although I think that assessment was an off-the-cuff evaluation by someone in law enforcement, rather than an expert’s considered opinion. Also, some of the kids apparently didn’t know what a police officer was, but the 17 year old knew to call 911. So again, it seems like children of different ages may have had different experiences.
I thought the same thing, that the kids didn’t know what a police office was, but the 17 year old knew a deactivated cell phone could still dial 911, and knew what 911 was?
When were the most recent trips to Disney and Las Vegas? I wonder if others remember seeing the family and start coming out of the woodwork telling stories. What little I saw with the Elvis impersonator, he didn’t think anything was off with the family and I believe he performed two of the renewal ceremonies.
It’s very possible that she got lucky with the phone, i.e. that she didn’t know that the phone was deactivated, but she did know that you’re supposed to pick up a phone and dial 911 if you need the police.
Supposedly, at least some kids did not know the police existed. However, perhaps this particular kid did, or knew about using 911 to call the ambulance or fire department.
All sorts of things are coming out with this story now. Some newer developments I have read about are…that the parents were “swingers”, that the mother was sexually abused by a relative when she was growing up, that investigators are considering sending in cadaver dogs to their residence and previous residences to determine if they had had other children who did not survive, as well as DNA tests to see if their 13 kids are all their kids, that the dad ran the household in a cult fashion, that a previous home they left had dead dogs in it and a living room scattered with feces and that they had hopes of being on a reality show. Stay tuned.
Not to be gross or uninformed but the dad is also being charged with lewd acts to a minor under 13. Lewd isn’t rape correct? What constitutes lewd legally?
People may have assumed he had Asperger Syndrome or was in some other way neurologically atypical. That might also have seemed an explanation for why his mother accompanied him. Again I think people are loathe to act if they think that if there were a real problem someone else would already have reported it.
Yeah, my first thought wouldn’t have been that this CC student was abused. I would have thought he had a mental illness and the fact that his mom was with him would have reassured me.
The family was just days away from leaving to relocate.
Perhaps this is what prompted the 17 year old to put her plan into action and escape from the window…