3 Children Found Starved in Hotel Bathroom UPDATED

All I can say about this is OMG. These poor little children!

3 children found starved in hotel bathroom
updated 8:36 p.m. ET, Wed., July 22, 2009

DALLAS - Three children were kept in a hotel bathroom for about a year and were "horribly emaciated" when police found them earlier this month, authorities said. One claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted.

The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, is charged with injury to a child. Her 37-year-old live-in boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, is charged with aggravated sexual assault and continual sexual abuse.

The extended stay hotel where the Santiagos lived sits alongside one of Dallas' busiest freeways. It has daily and weekly rates and offers maid service for an extra cost, though it wasn't clear if hotel employees had entered the unit where the children were found.

Read the rest of this sad story here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32091786/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

God, this is just awful. The so called mother and step father are far from human, you couldn't even call them animals....I hope these poor children can somehow come into a normal sense of life.

Has there been any updates on these children, does anyone know?

I couldn't find any updates on the children. Hopefully no news is good news regarding the children in this case.

The children's mother, Abneris Santiago, and her boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, were indicted by a grand jury on August 26. They each face three charges of first-degree injury to a child. Each count is punishable by at least five years in prison. Alfred Santiago was also charged with continuous sexual abuse, which carries a 25-year sentence.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9AAO2JO1.html

My heart, thoughts & prayers go out to these poor children. Hopefully, the mother and her boyfriend will be locked up for a very long time. Stories like this break my heart, and make me so angry!!!!

Sounds like the mother will not do much time. She'll get out and have more children. She's as guilty as he is, allowing and aiding in her children's abuse.

Custody Hearing over Starved Children
Richard Longoria
Story Created: Sep 4, 2009 at 9:07 AM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 4, 2009 at 9:07 AM CDT

DALLAS (AP) - A hearing is set in Dallas over who will get
custody of the children found starving and shut inside a hotel
bathroom for at least nine months.

The Friday morning hearing in juvenile district court could
determine where the four children will live. Three of them were
found in July, emaciated and filthy, shut inside a hotel bathroom.
The fourth, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy in a crib.

The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was
indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Her
boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, faces the same three
charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse.

The children's uncle and grandmother have said they would raise
the children. They have been living together in foster care since
their rescue.
http://www.kiiitv.com/news/txstatenews/57261082.html

Custody Hearing Set for Dallas Starvation Case
Posted in State News on Friday, September 4th, 2009
By JEFF CARLTON
Associated Press Writer

DALLAS (AP) - A hearing is set in Dallas over who will get
custody of the children found starving and shut inside a hotel
bathroom for at least nine months.

The Friday morning hearing in juvenile district court could
determine where the four children will live. Three of them were
found in July, emaciated and filthy, shut inside a hotel bathroom.
The fourth, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy in a crib.

The children’s mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was
indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Her
boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, faces the same three
charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse.

The children’s uncle and grandmother have said they would raise
the children. They have been living together in foster care since
their rescue.
http://www.kcendt.com/?p=16233



Custody hearing coming up in Texas starvation case
Posted: Sep 04, 2009 9:19 AM EDT

DALLAS (AP) - A hearing is set in Dallas over who will get custody of the children found starving and shut inside a hotel bathroom for at least nine months.

The Friday morning hearing in juvenile district court could determine where the four children will live. Three of them were found in July, emaciated and filthy, shut inside a hotel bathroom.

The fourth, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy in a crib.

The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, faces the same three charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse.

The children's uncle and grandmother have said they would raise the children. They have been living together in foster care since their rescue.
http://www.kcbd.com/global/Story.asp?s=11046499


Starved Children's Health Improving
Published : Friday, 04 Sep 2009, 2:37 PM CDT
* Associated Press

DALLAS - Children found starving inside a Dallas hotel bathroom likely will be placed in their maternal grandmother's care pending the completion of a home study and background check, a judge ruled Friday.

The judge concurred with an attorney for the children that it was in their best interests.

Juvenile district court Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa, Fla., home of Ruth Leon, the children's grandmother. The agency will work with its counterpart in Florida.

The four children will remain together in foster care in the meantime. Their mother and her boyfriend were indicted last week on abuse charges and remain in the Dallas County Jail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November that could begin the process of severing their parental rights.

In July, police found the three oldest children shut inside a hotel bathroom and believe they were there for at least nine months. The 11-year-old girl and her 10- and 5-year-old half brothers were emaciated and filthy, officials said. A fourth child, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy and unharmed.

A doctor said the children appeared to have been starved and that their condition was life-threatening . The 11-year-old said she had been sexually assaulted, and the eldest son was covered in bruises from a beating authorities said was delivered by his mother's boyfriend.

"They are all together in the same foster home, which we think is the best thing for them," said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

Mary Macias, the court-appointed attorney for the children, said the biological fathers of two of them were ruled out for custody because they have criminal backgrounds.

Leon declined to comment after the hearing. In previous interviews with The Associated Press, she said her grandchildren lived with her for several years in Florida. After their mother moved to Fort Myers, Fla., Leon visited them every couple weeks until they moved to Texas.

"The children are very comfortable with their grandmother," Gonzales said.

During the hearing, Macias gave an update on the children's progress to the judge. The children were hospitalized for more than a week after their initial rescue but their health has since stabilized. They are receiving counseling, gaining weight and "doing great and very happy," Macias said.

They have also enrolled in school. The oldest girl told authorities in July that they had not attended in several years.

Also in attendance at the hearing was Abner Santiago and his wife, Sonia, the brother and sister-in-law of the children's mother. They drove about 1,200 miles from the Cleveland area in July to check on the children, a visit that led to the police rescue.

"They're doing excellent," Abner Santiago said of the children.

The mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Each is a first-degree felony punishable by at least five years in prison.

Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, was indicted on the same three charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse, which carries a minimum 25-year sentence.

The couple has the same last name but are not married. They have not entered pleas, according to court records.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/Starved_Childrens_Health_Impr

Starved Kids Describe 'Nightmare'


DALLAS - The hotel bathroom was a de facto prison cell -- a cramped, foul space where three young children were starved, beaten and sexually assaulted for at least nine months.

The toilet didn't work. The bathtub was a place to sleep. Meals were rare, and the two oldest children -- once each a healthy 90 pounds -- withered to less than 60 pounds.

Each day for reasons unknown, their mother's boyfriend would force the 10-year-old boy to stand in the corner with his arms raised above his head; his 5-year-old half brother had to kneel in another corner, arms also raised.

The disturbing details emerged in court records that tell the horrific story of the torture borne by the two boys and their 11-year-old half sister, all of whom have different fathers. The children were found July 2 after their mother called a relative to say she feared for her own life and those of her children.

The 10-year-old, his face and limbs covered in bruises, told a social worker that the experience was "my living nightmare." The 11-year-old said she repeatedly was sexually assaulted. The 5-year-old was so thin that bones were visible in his limbs.

The children were rescued by their uncle and police, their ribs protruding and their bellies distended. After throwing up food given to them by stunned officials, the children expressed gratitude at being found.

"God was watching over us and listening to our prayers," the 11-year-old said.

The 10-year-old agreed. "My prayers have been answered," he said. "I'm safe, that's all I need."

The mother's boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, 37, faces charges of aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse. He remained jailed Wednesday, unable to make his $125,000 bail. No court appearance has been set.

The mother, Abneris Santiago, 30, is charged with injury to a child. She remained jailed on $50,000 bail and is expected to appear in court next week, when a judge will decide whether the case will go to a grand jury.

Attorneys for the couple did not return phone calls Wednesday from The Associated Press seeking comment, and the two declined to be interviewed.

The three children and their healthy 1-year-old half sister -- the daughter of both Santiagos -- were placed in foster care. They will remain with their foster family at least through September, when a status hearing is scheduled.

In interviews with Child Protective Services officials, the children described their imprisonment in heartbreaking detail. It began roughly three years ago, when they moved from Fort Myers, Fla., to Texas, ostensibly to take care of Alfred Santiago's ailing mother. Abneris Santiago's relatives now doubt that story.

Until the move, Alfred Santiago was a "nice, nice gentle man," the 10-year-old said.

That seemed to change in Texas, where the blended family took residence in a Super 8 motel. The children were permitted to go outside but forbidden to play with other kids. Alfred Santiago began accusing them of being rapists. Later, after his daughter was born, he accused his girlfriend's children of molesting the infant.

In an interview with CPS officials, Abneris Santiago admitted the allegations left her "doubting" her children.

What freedoms the children had were taken away when the family moved into a Budget Suites of America, an extended-stay hotel located along a busy freeway. Police records indicate they had lived there since at least August 2007.

The children never attended school, and the 11-year-old said she had not been in a classroom since she was in second grade.

"She never put the kids on the phone," said Ruth Leon, Abneris's mother. "They told me they were playing or that they were with friends or doing homework or doing something."

Inside the bathroom, the children said, they would go days without eating. Their mother said she gave them breakfast and dinner, though she was aware her boyfriend would not feed them while she was at work. She sneaked them food when she could, Abneris Santiago said, but "risked a beating" every time.

The children hid scraps of food in shampoo bottles, their pockets and "anywhere else they could hide it, not knowing when they might get to eat again," a CPS report said. Such behavior continued even after their rescue. The children were hospitalized for 10 days, "requiring constant supervision due to food hoarding," the report said.

The examining doctor said the children were of average height but in the bottom fifth percentile for weight. Their cheeks and eyes were hollow and sunken, their skin was flaky and they emitted a repugnant odor.

The report described Abneris Santiago as medically obese. During an interview with CPS officials, she repeatedly said she was hungry but that she was so upset she had been unable to eat for two days.

Abneris Santiago might not have done much to help her children, but her oldest son came to her defense. She told CPS that three weeks earlier, her boyfriend beat her and her 10-year-old tried to stop him. Alfred Santiago punched the boy twice in the face, she said.

Abneris Santiago denied knowing of any sexual abuse. She knew she had to get out of the situation, she told CPS officials, "before something really bad happened."
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/Starved_Kids_Describe_Living_

Two children found starving in Dallas motel at center of custody fight
Friday, September 4, 2009


Abneris Santiago


Alfred Santiago

The maternal grandmother of three children found starving in a Dallas motel bathroom wants to take them home with her to Florida. The grandmother appeared in a Dallas County Juvenile courtroom Friday morning for a status hearing on the children's conditions.

Dallas police discovered the emaciated children in July after they got a call from a relative. Investigators say the two boys and a girl were kept in the bathroom day and night for more than a year, and fed little to no food. Detectives describe the children having sunken eyes, flaky skin, bruises all over their bodies and signs of severe malnourishment. A healthy baby girl was also found in a crib in the motel room.

The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, has been charged with injury to a child. Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, has been charged with continuous aggravated sexual assault. Both remain in the Dallas County jail, and were not present at Friday's court hearing.

Mary Macias is the court appointed attorney for the children. Macias told the judge that the children's mother had not asked about them. Macias added, "The children are doing good, they've gained weight, they're going to school, making progress in therapy. They've come a long way."

Outside the courtroom, the biological fathers of the 11-year-old girl and the 10-year-old boy were also hoping to get custody of their children. Both men flew in from Florida for the hearing.

"They're monsters, both of them are monsters for what they did to the kids. I'm so mad I don't want to say what I would do to them if they got out of jail," says the biological father of the 11-year-old girl. The 10-year-old boy's father says, "I don't want the grandmother to get custody of my son, because she's the one who let her own daughter take off from Florida with the children. She didn't protect them!"

We're not identifying the fathers by name to protect the identity of the children.

Child Protective Services will now conduct a home study of the grandmother's home in Florida. In November, CPS will make its recommendations to the judge on which family member should get the children. For now, the baby girl and her two brother and sister will remain in foster care -- together.
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/sep/04/fathers-fighting-custody-two-children-found-starvi/


Children found in Dallas hotel bathroom likely headed to Tampa
Last Update: 9/04 4:43 pm

DALLAS (AP) -- Children found starving inside a Dallas hotel bathroom likely will be placed in their maternal grandmother's care pending the completion of a home study and background check, a judge ruled Friday.

The judge concurred with an attorney for the children that it was in their best interests.

Juvenile district court Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa, Fla., home of Ruth Leon, the children's grandmother. The agency will work with its counterpart in Florida.

The four children will remain together in foster care in the meantime. Their mother and her boyfriend were indicted last week on abuse charges and remain in the Dallas County Jail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November that could begin the process of severing their parental rights.

In July, police found the three oldest children shut inside a hotel bathroom and believe they were there for at least nine months. The 11-year-old girl and her 10- and 5-year-old half brothers were emaciated and filthy, officials said. A fourth child, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy and unharmed.

A doctor said the children appeared to have been starved and that their condition was life-threatening. The 11-year-old said she had been sexually assaulted, and the eldest son was covered in bruises from a beating authorities said was delivered by his mother's boyfriend.

"They are all together in the same foster home, which we think is the best thing for them," said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

Mary Macias, the court-appointed attorney for the children, said the biological fathers of two of them were ruled out for custody because they have criminal backgrounds.

Leon declined to comment after the hearing. In previous interviews with The Associated Press, she said her grandchildren lived with her for several years in Florida. After their mother moved to Fort Myers, Fla., Leon visited them every couple weeks until they moved to Texas.

"The children are very comfortable with their grandmother," Gonzales said.

During the hearing, Macias gave an update on the children's progress to the judge. The children were hospitalized for more than a week after their initial rescue but their health has since stabilized. They are receiving counseling, gaining weight and "doing great and very happy," Macias said.

They have also enrolled in school. The oldest girl told authorities in July that they had not attended in several years.

Also in attendance at the hearing was Abner Santiago and his wife, Sonia, the brother and sister-in-law of the children's mother. They drove about 1,200 miles from the Cleveland area in July to check on the children, a visit that led to the police rescue.

"They're doing excellent," Abner Santiago said of the children.

The mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Each is a first-degree felony punishable by at least five years in prison.

Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, was indicted on the same three charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse, which carries a minimum 25-year sentence.

The couple has the same last name but are not married. They have not entered pleas, according to court records.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Children-found-in-Dallas-hotel-bathroom-likely/jG5OsT2aVkWQikuRXrSzTQ.cspx

Twist in case of three children found in motel bathroom
06:28 PM CDT on Friday, September 4, 2009 By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV
http://www.wfaa.com/video/?nvid=395601&shu=1

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090904_lj_hotelroomchildren.14a53443c.html

There has been a surprise twist in the case of three children found locked, beaten and starving in the bathroom of a Dallas motel in July.

The mother of the children, Abneris Santiago, and her boyfriend, Albert Santiago, were charged with abuse in the case. Not only were the children malnourished, but the oldest child, an 11-year-old girl, says she was repeatedly raped. A 10-year-old boy was beaten.

At a custody hearing on Friday, the fathers of two of the children appeared, asking that their children be allowed to live with them.

Henry Arceiciago travelled to the hearing from Tampa. He said he’d been prevented from seeing his daughter for years and now wants punishment for the Santiagos. “Those monsters, they’d better be in jail because monsters like this, we don’t need them on the street," he said.

Fernando Delgado, also from Tampa, is the father of the 10-year-old boy, who was beaten in the couple’s care. He said his “heart is broken” by what Abneris Santiago did to his son. He says every time he has tried to get custody, his son has been given to his maternal grandmother, who relinquishes care to her abusive daughter.

The grandmother seemed to be the leading contender for custody of the children. Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon asked CPS to evaluate the grandmother’s house in Florida for suitability for the children. That will be done by the next hearing in November.

CPS spokeswoman, Marissa Gonzales, said the children were improving. “They’re steadily gaining weight,” she said. They’re in therapy, and they’ve started school and we’re excited about that. And they’re all together in the same foster home.”

The Santiagos’ criminal case is pending.


Children may come to Tampa
Saturday, September 5, 2009

DALLAS — Children found starving inside a Dallas hotel bathroom likely will be placed in their maternal grandmother's care pending the completion of a home study and background check, a judge ruled Friday.

The judge agreed with an attorney for the children that it was in their best interests.

Juvenile District Court Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa home of Ruth Leon, the children's grandmother. The agency will work with its Florida counterpart.

The four children will remain together in foster care in the meantime. Their mother and her boyfriend were indicted last week on abuse charges and remain in the Dallas County Jail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November that could begin the process of severing their parental rights.

In July, police found the three oldest children shut inside a hotel bathroom and believe they were there for at least nine months. The 11-year-old girl and her 10- and 5-year-old half brothers were emaciated and filthy, officials said. A fourth child, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy and unharmed.

A doctor said the children appeared to have been starved and that their condition was life-threatening. The 11-year-old said she had been sexually assaulted, and the eldest son was covered in bruises from a beating authorities said was delivered by his mother's boyfriend.

"They are all together in the same foster home, which we think is the best thing for them," said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

Mary Macias, the court-appointed attorney for the children, said the biological fathers of two of them were ruled out for custody because they have criminal backgrounds.

Leon declined to comment after the hearing. In previous interviews with the Associated Press, she said her grandchildren lived with her for several years in Florida. After their mother moved to Fort Myers, Leon visited them every couple weeks until they moved to Texas.

"The children are very comfortable with their grandmother," Gonzales said.

Macias gave an update on the children's progress during the hearing. The children were hospitalized for more than a week after their initial rescue but their health has since stabilized. They are receiving counseling, gaining weight and "doing great and very happy," Macias said.

They have also enrolled in school. The oldest girl told authorities in July that they had not attended in several years.

Also at the hearing was Abner Santiago and his wife, Sonia, the brother and sister-in-law of the children's mother. They drove about 1,200 miles from the Cleveland area in July to check on the children, a visit that led to the police rescue.

"They're doing excellent," Abner Santiago said.

The mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, was indicted last week on three charges of injury to a child. Each is a first-degree felony punishable by at least five years in prison.

Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, was indicted on the same three charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse, which carries a minimum 25-year sentence.

The couple have the same last name but are not married.
[Last modified: Sep 04, 2009 10:56 PM]
http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/children-may-come-to-tampa/1033950


TEXAS DIGEST
Children found starving in hotel bathroom are improving now
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
Saturday, September 05, 2009

DALLAS
Kids found starving in hotel are now improving

Children found starving inside a Dallas hotel bathroom in July are receiving counseling, gaining weight and living together in a foster home, according to testimony Friday at a court hearing.

Mary Macias, a court-appointed attorney for the children, said they are "doing great and very happy." The children were hospitalized for more than a week after their initial rescue but their health has since stabilized, Macias said.

The children, 11, 10 and 5, have also enrolled in school. The oldest girl told authorities in July that they had not attended in several years.

The children's mother, Abneris Santiago, 30, was indicted on three charges of injury to a child, and her boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, was indicted on charges of continuous sexual abuse.

Juvenile district court Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa, Fla., home of Ruth Leon, the children's grandmother.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/09/05/0905texdigest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52

Kids found starving in Dallas hotel likely to move in with grandmother
Posted Friday, Sep. 04, 2009

DALLAS — Children found starving inside a Dallas hotel bathroom will likely be placed in their maternal grandmother’s care in Florida while caseworkers complete a home study and background check, a judge ruled Friday.

Juvenile District Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa, Fla., home of Ruth Leon, the kids’ grandmother.

The four children will remain together in foster care in the meantime. Their mother, Abneris Santiago, 30, and her boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, 37, were indicted last week on abuse charges and remain in the Dallas County Jail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November that could begin the process of severing their parental rights.

In July, police found the three oldest children shut inside a hotel bathroom. Police believe that the kids were there for at least nine months. The 11-year-old girl and her 10- and 5-year-old half brothers were emaciated and filthy, officials said. A fourth child, a 1-year-old girl, was healthy.
http://www.star-telegram.com/dallas_news/story/1589165.html


Children locked in motel bathroom likely to live with grandmother
04:22 PM CDT on Saturday, September 5, 2009

Three children found starving inside a Dallas motel bathroom probably will be placed in their maternal grandmother’s care pending the completion of a home study and background check, a judge ruled Friday.

The judge concurred with an attorney for the children that it was in their best interests.

Juvenile district court Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon ordered Child Protective Services to look into the suitability of the Tampa, Fla., home of Ruth Leon, the children’s grandmother. The agency will work with its counterpart in Florida.

The three children and a fourth child, a 1-year-old girl who was found healthy and unharmed, will remain together in foster care in the meantime.

Their mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, and her boyfriend, 37-year-old Alfred Santiago, were indicted last month on abuse charges and remain in the Dallas County Jail. A pretrial hearing scheduled for November could begin the process of severing their parental rights.

In July, police found the three oldest children filthy and malnourished inside a bathroom at a Stemmons Corridor motel, where they are believed to have been held for at least nine months.

A doctor's report said the children were severely underweight and suffered from life-threatening malnourishment. The 11-year-old girl weighed 59 pounds; the 10-year-old boy, 58 pounds; and the 6-year-old boy, 29 pounds.

A doctor said the children appeared to have been starved and that their condition was life-threatening. The 11-year-old said she had been sexually assaulted, and the eldest son was covered in bruises from a beating authorities said was delivered by his mother’s boyfriend.

“They are all together in the same foster home, which we think is the best thing for them,” said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

Mary Macias, the court-appointed attorney for the children, said the biological fathers of two of them were ruled out for custody because they have criminal histories.

Leon declined to comment after the hearing. In previous interviews, she said her grandchildren lived with her for several years in Florida. After their mother moved to Fort Myers, Fla., Leon visited them every couple of weeks until they moved to Texas.

“The children are very comfortable with their grandmother,” Gonzales said.

During the hearing, Macias gave an update on the children’s progress to the judge. The children were hospitalized for more than a week after their initial rescue, but their health has since stabilized. They are receiving counseling, gaining weight and “doing great and very happy,” Macias said.

They have also enrolled in school. The oldest girl told authorities in July that they had not attended in several years.

Also in attendance at the hearing was Abner Santiago and his wife, Sonia, the brother and sister-in-law of the children’s mother. They drove about 1,200 miles from the Cleveland area in July to check on the children, a visit that led to the police rescue.

“They’re doing excellent,” Abner Santiago said.

Abneris Santiago was indicted last month on three charges of injury to a child. Each is a first-degree felony punishable by at least five years in prison.

Alfred Santiago was indicted on the same three charges, plus a charge of continuous sexual abuse, which carries a minimum 25-year sentence.

The couple have the same last name but are not married. They have not entered pleas, according to court records.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090905_lj_starvedchildren.14f32dbbc.html

Piper wrote:Sounds like the mother will not do much time. She'll get out and have more children. She's as guilty as he is, allowing and aiding in her children's abuse.

Hi, Piper! I agree with you. I have absolutely no faith in Child Protective Services. They are not doing their jobs! Women like this should be sterilized by the State once they've been charged with child abuse. That way they will never have any more children. It certainly would prevent any further child abuse by that person.