Woman charged with cuffing, starving kids
Pastor Dale Morgan
Woman charged with cuffing, starving kids*
From correspondents in Miami
August 02, 2007 09:05am
Article from: Reuters
A FLORIDA woman suspected of starving and imprisoning at least eight
people she had adopted as children and collected more than $US2 million
($2.3m) to take care of was charged with aggravated abuse overnight.
Police found four teenagers and four disabled adults hiding in the Port
St Lucie home of Judith Leekin last month.
They described them as malnourished with scars on their wrists from
being handcuffed together with plastic twist-ties and said none had seen
a dentist or doctor or attended school in years.
Florida authorities charged Ms Leekin, 62, with four counts of
aggravated child abuse, four counts of aggravated abuse of disabled
adults, witness tampering and possessing a fictitious drivers licence.
Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment but told local
media more charges were pending.
The eight victims were among 11 Ms Leekin adopted as children from New
York City's foster care system between 1993 and 1996.
She continued to collect subsidy payments of up to $US55 a day to care
for them after moving to the southeast Florida city of Port St. Lucie,
the Palm Beach Post reported.
"I think all of us were amazed just how devious this whole thing was,"
the newspaper quoted Port St Lucie Police Capt. Scott Bartal as saying.
Police went to her home after an 18-year-old woman who was left at a
grocery store told them she had been abandoned by her adoptive mother.
She told investigators she and her siblings had been forced to sleep on
a tile floor, often cuffed together, and were not allowed to use the
bathroom.
One of them was blind and another was unable to walk. Most were not
educated beyond a basic level, police said.
A 10th adoptee, a 19-year-old man, left the home two years ago but
police said Ms Leekin was still collecting money to take care of him.
The 11th adoptee, now 18, was missing.