Did you hear about the woman who had been adopting kids for years and kept them
By estherlou
@estherlou (5015)
United States
July 31, 2007 10:40am CST
locked or tied up, didn't allow them to leave the house, didn't take them to the doctor or put them in school. She had several children to young adults who were almost starving and none had more than a 4th grade education! "...nine teenagers and young adults were held like prisoners in Judith Leekin's home in what appeared to be a decades-long scheme to line her pockets with the government payments she received for adopting and raising them, police say. They range in age from 15 to 27. One is blind and mumbles. One can barely walk or stand. One can't read. If Leekin did adopt them in New York City, she could have been making as much as $180,000 a year for a time. Parents who adopt special needs children can get as much as $55 a day." Can you believe this! It is criminal! These kids might never be the same again! Read the whole article hear.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/30/kids.abused.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText
12 people like this
22 responses
@easymoney75503 (1702)
• United States
31 Jul 07
oh my that is just horriable. i am a parent and i want to be a foster parent and people like this just make me mad. i mean those poor kids. people like her need to be shot. i mean that is just so wrong. the question is though why didnt child services find out i mean they are suppose to make yearly inspections of all homes. i know that is alot of homes but you would think as long as she had been doing it someone whould of stopped by. that is just sick. people i just dont understand so many of them now days. they had better give her the max. maybe the state should brush up on there kids too.
2 people like this
@soulsister_16 (738)
• Switzerland
31 Jul 07
How come she was allowed to adopt that many kids?
I thought there's a background check or something. Poor kids.
1 person likes this
@tombiz (2036)
• Philippines
1 Aug 07
It is definitely a big failure on the checking and verifying system of the orphanage institution. It is hard to understand why this thing is allowed to happen. Didn't they have a regular monitoring system to see if those who are adopted are in good condition? And to think that this lady had continue adopting even more children.
This story really goes into the core of our being and hearts. We should never ever allow anybody to do something as horrible as this one. Human must never be treated as even lower than the lowest animals. Humans must be treated with respect and care. It is never time to get back to being cannibals of our own kind. Slavery had long been abolished.
The police must be commended for doing their job on this. But it would have been better if they had found out this horror at the very start so that there could have been less people victimized.
My heart really goes into these innocents victims.
Horrible story.
@tarams98020 (170)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I think that is terrible. How could no one ever go check to see how things were going? If she adopted them you would think that DSS would be going to the house and checking on the kids. Just terrible
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
1 Aug 07
This is absolutely terrible but one thing I would like to know
How did she get away with it for that long why was it not noted that these Children where not at School, why did the Neighbours not notice I just do not understand this I really hope that this Children/Adults will get all the help possible now
@RobinJ (2501)
• Canada
31 Jul 07
I read this and my question is how did she get away with this? were there no home checks done, it boggles the mind to know that her greed has ruined all those children's lives. If the state only pays for a child until the age of 21 I am surprise she kept the ones past that age alive, unless there is a disability pension that arrives monthly. This woman should be put away for life, and that is not enough, she was guardian to these people and the damage she has done is beyond a prison sentence,I would also have a in depth search as to her past history, I am sure she has had no compulsion to keep those children safe and alive, so how many were lost and no one knows. Disgusting.
1 person likes this
@tdbrower1969 (1242)
• United States
1 Aug 07
People like this just make me sick! What happened to the home studies, and background checks that have to be done before you can adopt? I just don't understand how she could have gotten away with this for so long! Those poor kids, being put in foster care because of abuse or neglect and then to be adopted by a monster like that! They will never lead a normal life now, I bet. The trust that is supposed to be there and the love never was! My husband and I are looking to adopt through the foster care program, and there are different training classes that you have to attend and home studies and stuff. I guess if she had a place to hide the children while someone was in the home, but still, how can that many children be adopted by a horrible person who is in it not for the children but for the money?
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
28 Aug 07
When we were trying to adopt, I asked why the standards for adopting mentally and physically or handicapped children (that was before the term 'special needs' was common) was not as high as the standards to adopt a healthy white (in our case with brown hair and either brown or blue eyes) infant. Surely someone should have been aware of what kind of woman this was. Or was it just get them out of the foster system? In Canada, this would never happen. They would have the social workers checking up on her so fast she could not blink. I feel sorry for the young people who not only were mentally slow, but have probably deteriorated that they may need hospital care for the rest of their lives and I hope they throw the book at her.
@MakeItCount (350)
• India
27 Mar 08
It doesn't make any sense to pay people to take care of kids and then not check up on them. The world is full of sick people, the state is basically incentivising them to abuse these kids. I wish people who do jobs like these that have such a huge impact would take them more seriously.
@tombiz (2036)
• Philippines
1 Aug 07
This is a very gross and inhumane story which I think could really be shocking to all of us. Even low animals deserved much better treatment than this. And to think that the one slaving them is a woman who is supposed to be caring to others especially children and orphans.
It must be a very horrifying experience for these humans to be treated as such. And I must say that adequate punishment from the judicial system must be meted againts this offender.
Human slavery had long been abolished but we can hear some stories of people who have the tendency to enslave people just for the satisfaction of their greedy self.
My sympathy and heart goes to the victims of this tremendously evil act. It's good thing that after many years, the story has finally ended.
The world needs more people who will care and not people who will make others as slaves.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
27 Mar 08
I actually did a discussion on this as well when it first came out...great minds think alike :)
I wholeheartedly agree that the woman should be locked up but I also think the caseworkers who were responsible for those kids should be held accountable. They knew the kids were special needs when they were adopted and yet they just let them go and never checked on them. As for her being in another state, New York could have easily called up Florida and asked them to do a home visit. It's hard to believe that in all those years not one neighbor ever noticed a kid in that house.
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
@mummymo (23706)
•
31 Jul 07
All children deserve the right to be loved and cared for, what this wiman did was totally unconscionable! To treat anyone in this way is heartless - to do it to kids is just so much worse - espescially when they have pre existing difficulties! Shouldn't the authorities have been checking on the conditions of these children? Why didn't they do something about it in 1999! My sister has been fostering children for 27 years and all are well treated and cared for - this just makes me feel sick to the stomach! xxx
1 person likes this
@Melody1 (967)
• India
1 Aug 07
We don't know how far this is true because personally I feel no woman can do such a terrible thing.But if it is true,then hats off to the person who discovered this and revealed it to society.Atleast now,I hope,these children and adolescents are in safe hands and being given proper treatment and care.
@ItTakesAllSorts (4096)
•
1 Aug 07
Some of the most vunerable children allowed to be with this woman makes me feel sick.
I cannot understand that there were no check lists done and alarm bells should have gone off when she was accussed of abuse back in 1999. Social services should have kept tabs on this evil woman and known if the children were going to school etc. If she was receiving regular payments for having these children, why weren't they more protected. I find it disgusting that these children were just given out by the authorities and then forgotten.
They should be prosecuted for neglect too.
I hope some good comes out of this and social services now look after our most vunerable children. I hope this woman has the shite beaten out of her in prison. Pure evil!!!
@revdauphinee (5703)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I saw this on the news it amazes me the evil that some folks are capable of but i do feel the childrens services have to take part of the blame they nnever checkd on her !
@healer (1779)
• India
1 Aug 07
This is not good, wonder how and why people do that. I feel pity for the kids as they don't have a future, why did people do such things to innocent kids. Why do they adopt to treat like a caged bird, kids should be taken special care when they are at such young stage and let them learn something for their future. And making hell for nine children is just horrible to hear, hope she gets what she deserves.
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
1 Aug 07
Jeez... that is disgusting. How can any person do this to others? How can she live with herself knowing she was treating children that she was supposed to care for that way? I can't even imagine how messed up those children are because of her.
@jolenegreen (1209)
• United States
1 Aug 07
OMG! That is sooo crazy!!! Poor kids. My heart goes out to every single one of them. I feel bad. I could adopt them allinto my home and not even care about the money. SOOOO SAD. SHell prolly just get a slap on the wrist
