Posted on 05/01/2008 10:47:42 AM PDT by Politicalmom
State authorities are investigating whether younger boys taken from a polygamist ranch in West Texas were sexually abused by older boys, not adults, a state official said today.
Documents taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado indicate that younger boys were molested by older boys at the ranch, the official, who asked not to be identified, told the Houston Chronicle.
No other details about the abuse were available.
On Wednesday, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Carey Cockerell revealed to a Senate panel that at least 41 of the 464 children in state custody had previously broken or fractured bones.
``Several of these fractures have been found in very young children and several had multiple fractures,'' he said.
Most of the information about the fractures was reported to DFPS' Texas Child Protective Services by the children or their mothers. Few X-rays have been done on the children, agency officials said.
But Cockerell also told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that the agency is looking into the possible sexual abuse of some boys, based on interviews and journal entries.
In addition, he informed the panel of several hurdles CPS workers faced in trying to identify the children and determine their health status.
He said both women and children removed plastic identity bracelets issued to them or rubbed the wording off of them. CPS had tried to use the bracelets to help workers keep track of children.
Also, FLDS women initially refused to let the children undergo basic health screenings and many of the teen girls refused to take pregnancy tests. The women and older children often monitored younger children, telling them not to speak to CPS workers or coaching them on what to say, Cockerell said.
For the past month, child welfare investigators had focused nearly all of their attention on the alleged sexual abuse of young girls who once resided with their parents at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch.
Until now, officials have alluded only occasionally to suspected physical abuse. The breakaway Mormon sect practices polygamy and its spiritual leader, Warren Jeffs, is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of being an accomplice to rape of an underage girl.
No other details were available about the possible abuse of the boys or how many of the fractures, which affect less than 10 percent of the total child population from the sect, can be attributed to their life on a big ranch with a large amount of construction and farm equipment.
FLDS spokesman Rod Parker called Cockerell's testimony "a deliberate effort to mislead the public."
Parker said any broken bones would have been treated in medical facilities away from the ranch and that doctors are required to report suspected abuse.
It was not clear how many of the children might have been injured while playing or working on the 1,700-acre ranch they once called home.
Lloyd Barlow, the ranch's onsite physician, said he was caring for a number of FLDS children with broken or fractured bones at the time they were removed from the ranch.
"Probably over 90 percent of the injuries are forearm fractures from ground-level or low level falls," Barlow told the Associated Press. "I can also tell you that we don't live in a community where there is a pattern of abuse."
Dr. Emalee Flaherty, a pediatrician in Chicago who specializes in child abuse, cautioned against jumping to conclusions that the children's broken bones were caused by abuse.
There might be many variables, she said, such as a high incidence of bone disease or a special diet that causes a vitamin deficiency that predisposes the group's children to brittle bones.
"This is a pretty closed community," Flaherty said, adding that life on a ranch might also expose children to injuries.
Dr. Bruce Perry, a Houston child psychiatrist and child abuse expert, said the type of fracture also is important.
"There are certain characteristics of fractures that go with abuse," Perry said. "It would be really important to know what bone was fractured and the type of fracture."
The state's April 3 raid on the YFZ Ranch has been criticized by some who believe CPS overstepped its authority when it took all of the children and placed them in foster care after finding underage girls were "spiritually married" to much older men.
CPS officials counter that they found at least one underage girl who was pregnant or had children in each of the sect's 19 homes on the ranch when they first arrived on April 3.
The agency clarified that number on Monday, saying at least 31 of the 53 girls ages 14 to 17 are pregnant, have children or both. Another child was born to a teen mother on Tuesday.
All of the children have been placed in group homes and shelters around the state until the investigation is completed.
For CPS, determining ages has been one of the biggest challenges. The agency reached the 53 total after reclassifying 26 girls, who had said they were older than 18, as younger than 18.
Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the state's Health and Human Services Department, said those girls had told officials they were younger than 18.
"For most of these children, we've been given different ages and different names," Goodman said. "We have teenagers who can't tell us their birthdates. Some have answered (that) they don't know. Others have said, 'I'm not supposed to tell you.' "
Under Texas law, children under age 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult. A girl can get married with parental permission at 16, but none of the sect's girls is believed to have had a legal marriage under state law. Also Wednesday, legal aid attorneys for some of the mothers filed an amended petition with the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, seeking the return of the children sent to residential foster care homes across the state.
"The wholesale removal of (the children) from their mothers was not justified," the petition read in part.
The department may have introduced evidence that some girls were being physically abused, but such evidence did not "pertain to the overwhelming majority of the children ... nor did it establish that each child was at risk of physical danger."
This was testified to in the first hearing. They learned it during the investigations, which took several days.
“treatment outside of the ranch” would likely be the initial x-ray, and setting the cast.
The treatment he would be doing at the ranch would then be follow-up visits, as the ranch physician.
My insurance company works like this. I have to get treatment for broken bones at the hospital, then I can do followup with my primary care physician.
This probably means they don’t have the facilities at the ranch for x-rays.
Guys I'm not part of the market team but I encourage all of yall that can to donate...now. Last night the bar was at 92%...guess where it is this evening? Last week I signed up for the dollar a day club. Most of us can afford that. That's less than a soda. Anyway, I don't need to preach. Yal know how important FR is. So ... I'll be cutting and posting this to my pings tonight until the AM tells me it knock it off.:')
Now... if this is true about the boys, PM, ....it makes things that much harder to fix...or even if it can be.
So, go and atone. I know another descendant of Martin Harris and he is still happily in the Church. I see him every Sunday.
You are free to believe whatever you wish. I do get tired of being called basically a liar because I choose to have faith in The Lord Jesus Christ and the Restored Gospel.
Go face some truth, then. I face it on my knees to The Lord.
Utah, 1850’s.
-— The marriage of mother and daughter to one man
was of so common an occurrence that it ceased to
be regarded as anything out of the ordinary course
of events.
I had some schoolmates, two sisters, whose mother
was married to a Mr. McDonald and when she gave herself
to him, it was with the express understanding that
the daughters should be sealed to him as soon as they
were of a proper age. The little girls knew of
the arrangement, and used to talk very openly of
“marrying Pa,” and in very much the same way
they would speak of their intention to take tea
to a friend.
Ann Young, Wife #19, Chapter XIX
Brittle bones is not seen much in this country.
I think the idea that these kids have that is hogwash.
Carolyn Jessop said she never heard of any of the kids having brittle bones.
So, these outside facilities should have record of the broken bone cases, to match the 41 incidents of broken bones.
Objectivity requires intellectual honesty and not the sad fundamental silliness of your lightweight statement. Please try again OMM with something a bit more involved and developed with such in this thread. I know there is a Lord; Just not Joe Smith and Mormons abusing the boys.
Right. If if can be proven that no ‘gene’ is involved leading to brittle bones, then that is one less excuse to deal with, should they end up needing an excuse.
So far, we only have a figure, 10%, and no verification that it is outside the norm, other than the first report I heard on local news.
Your remark about the statements of Carolyn Jessop provides support . Thanks.
I am so glad your eyes were opened...
Well, usually it is baptists and catholics that are abusing boys. LDS folks don’t do that sort of thing, as a rule.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I would imagine that there are even catholic priests that are not child molesters and a few baptists that are not hypocrites.
Could the reason for the number of broken bone cases at the FLDS have anything to do with possible ‘severe mental retardation’?
It’s not a good idea to let retarded children drive the ‘farm tractor’.
It’s not evil religions.
It’s evil people using religions.
If the doctor is not lying, there should be records. We might not hear of it, as they may be covered under Hipaa, but the CPS or the police will probably have access under their investigative authority.
I was wondering, if there is actual evidence of older boys abusing younger boys, how does that mesh with the judge’s ruling to send the older boys together with the younger boys to group homes?
“I was wondering, if there is actual evidence of older boys abusing younger boys, how does that mesh with the judge’s ruling to send the older boys together with the younger boys to group homes?”
Don’t have a clue.
Could be that there is no physical evidence. Little boys don’t get pregnant.
The only mention of ‘older boys’ I heard, was of TWO older boys. Maybe they weren’t the ones the younger ones claimed did it?
We don’t know, at this point.
The same thing happens in Islamic cultures, particularly with Arab men and boys.
That could well be the truest statement on FR. I hope they don’t beat you up too badly for saying it.
Hey Saundra, check out Post #15.
And you are the resident expert on objectivity and intellectual honesty?
OOOOOOOOOOkay.
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