Children Rescued From House of Hell, Found Chained in Yard Like Dogs
When little Josiah and Naomi were found by law enforcement in 2016, the scene was like something out of a nightmare.
A neighbor heard the then 3 and 4 year olds crying and called police to investigate. When they arrived, the two toddlers were chained up and were wearing dog collars.
They even had their own fecal matter caked onto their hands and feet.
When the two children were taken to a doctor, it was confirmed that they had been beaten “well over 100 times.”
Deandre Dorch and Porucha Phillips, the couple who were in charge, said they were “watching” the children as a favor for Cheryl Reed, the children’s birth mother.
During the trial, the Bexar County sheriff’s deputies teared up as they gave their testimonies about the condition the children were initially found in. Both Dorch and Phillips are currently serving sentences in prison for their part in the abuse. Reed is still awaiting trial.
Now Josiah and Naomi, along with their 18-month-old brother, are starting a new chapter in their lives.
Just two years after being rescued from such horrific conditions all three siblings have been adopted by two loving parents, Allen and Lakenya Shaw.
Lakenya commented on how much the children have grown since being put into the foster care system. She said, “They are not the same kids when they first came into the system, but I think it’s owed to the people that have prayed to see these beautiful kids. Ain’t they beautiful?”
Danny and Theresa Nealy, the first foster parents of the children and personal friends of the Shaws, have seen the children’s progression first-hand. They described them as being fearful and timid at first.
“They are living the best life they ever lived, and I’m just glad they are able to be here and enjoy a moment like this,” Danny said.
Carl Alexander, a Bexar County Prosecutor, is relieved to see the happy ending. “It’s nice to see that some of the hard stories we deal with actually have a happy ending, which is really rare in our business. It’s nice to see them so happy and so healed,” he said.
As for Naomi, she enjoys her new family and house. She even asked Lakenya to paint her nails after the adoption, pink of course!
The kids were officially adopted on Allen’s birthday; he described it as his best yet.
Allen said, “(Adoption is) amazing. I just really am honored to be able to do this for these children, to give them a safe place that they know they can lay their heads down and not worry about having the problems that they had before.”
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