PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., July 20, 2007

Cops: Fla. Woman Kept 9 Handcuffed At Home

5 Foster Children, 4 Adults Were Malnourished And Handcuffed Together, Police Say

  • Judith Leekin, 62, in an undated booking photo from the Port of St. Lucie Police Department. Leekin faces five counts of aggravated child abuse and single counts of tampering with a witness and possession of a fictitious identification after an 18-year-old woman told investigators her

    Judith Leekin, 62, in an undated booking photo from the Port of St. Lucie Police Department. Leekin faces five counts of aggravated child abuse and single counts of tampering with a witness and possession of a fictitious identification after an 18-year-old woman told investigators her "adoptive mother" left her on July 4.  (Port of St. Lucie Police Dept.)

  • Interactive Children In Danger

    Warning signs, state-by-state child services information and a history of child welfare reforms.

(CBS/AP)  A woman has been charged with keeping four malnourished teenagers and five adults, some mentally disabled, in her home and handcuffed together, police said Thursday.

When Judith Leekin, 62, would leave her home she bound the teenagers, ages 15 to 17, and adults together, police spokesman Deputy Robert Vega said.

"They were not allowed to leave the home," Vega said.

Some of the children were found with marks on their wrists, as well as scars and burns. Two of the teens had less than a fourth-grade education, while another is illiterate, authorities said.

"We have no idea how these kids came into her custody. We have no idea where these kids came from and no idea who they are," Vega said.

It also was not clear how long they had been with Leekin. She was charged Wednesday with five counts of aggravated child abuse, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of possession of a fictitious driver's license/identification, authorities said. She was being held on a total bond of $435,000.

None of the children ever attended school or visited a doctor while in Leekin's care, Vega said.

The investigation began when police were called to a supermarket July 4 because Leekin had apparently left an 18-year-old girl there, Vega said. The girl told police Leekin was her adoptive mother and that she had been living with her since she was 5, Vega said.

Leekin told investigators the girl had left a year ago, denied the abuse allegations and said she lived in the home with her son, a court record said.

During a search of her home, authorities found handcuffs, zip-ties and a surveillance system. A fictitious birth certificate also was found for one teen.

"We found more than one of the people under her care suffering from malnutrition," Port St. Lucie Police Captain Scott Bartal told the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers at a press conference Thursday. "We were able to verify that they were restrained using handcuffs and plastic ties."

Detectives were trying to determine the real identities of the nine people found in the home. They were placed in the care of the Department of Children & Families, Vega said.

"We are very saddened by the situation," Lorrene Egan, district 15 operations manager for DCF told The Palm Beach Post.

Leekin had several identities and Social Security numbers, and authorities were trying to verify her identity, Vega said.

Authorities investigated Leekin in 1999, but the case was closed when she left the area, police said.

Leekin's Miami attorney, Mario Garcia Jr., told The Post it was premature to comment on the case.

"We are doing our own investigation to determine what is and is not true," he said. "We don't have any comment because we don't have any information at this point."

"We found more than one of the people under her care suffering from malnutrition," Port St. Lucie Police Captain Scott Bartal told the Port St. Lucie News at a press conference Thursday. "We were able to verify that they were restrained using handcuffs and plastic ties."



© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 76 Comments
by itsnotaboutu July 22, 2007 12:25 PM EDT
Oh, pretty. This thing ought to brighten up the cell block!
Reply to this comment
by michellem99-2009 July 21, 2007 8:23 PM EDT
You would be shocked and surprised what people will do for money. And some foster parents do hate taking care of other people's children that will and do abuse them. The foster parents are so sweet to the social workers that drop in that they never see any abuse. It is there. The foster parents make sure they are nice to the kids when that worker in the home. Once gone the abuse starts and they can't allow a dr to see the child for fear of losing that bloody money. The disabled is hated the worse. I know that life going up and a foster care child learn not to trust no body as they can turn on them. And they do. You never knew when you might be hit,hair pulled,violated,.The foster parents get a thrill out of it as they got that power over you. That is why they don't want them to attend school as the fear they might learn something and the foster parents will lost that money. I know the drill. My room mate tryed to tell me how poorly educated I am by getting me a computer. He is right they the foster homes and schools failed me. I understand the hell of them.
Reply to this comment
by Netterz July 21, 2007 6:34 PM EDT
Maybe I missed something you all see that I dont, after reading it 3 times. I dont see anything about foster care, or that this woman even had any licensing to have these people. They dont know who she is for sure, or the people in the home. She could have kidnapped them all, and that would be more reason to keep them hidden and tied up. The police obviously are basing the story on what the ppl who lived there have told them, and what medical info they have obtained since they were discovered. Shes a fraud, and an anti-social, so it appears to me that she is just a sick twisted person, who may have taken these people from anywhere. No where did I see that she was connected to any foster program at all. Until the facts become more clear, no one knows how she came to be the so called 'care-giver'. She is possibly just a predator, who stole people to abuse. They have fake documents, but that doesnt tell them where they actuall came from at all.
Reply to this comment
by lcsw-fl July 21, 2007 11:47 AM EDT
THE STATE OF FLORIDA CURRENTLY LISTS 602 CHILDREN WHO ARE MISSING FROM THEIR CURRENT PLACEMENTS WITH DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. YOU CAN READ THE NAMES AT THE DEPARTMENT WEB SITE AT http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/missingkids/

ITS A SAD COMMENTARY ON A CULTURE WHEN THOSE CHARGED WITH PROTECTING CHILDREN CAN NOT KEEP THEM SAFE. NOT EVEN WHEN CHILDREN DIE IN STATE CARE DO THINGS CHANGE.
Reply to this comment
by zootallures2 July 21, 2007 10:38 AM EDT
I think we've found a new spieces of animal that preys on humans by disguising itself as one.
Reply to this comment
by drummer94 July 21, 2007 10:04 AM EDT
One sick beeotch. And the "system" was, where?
Reply to this comment
by konabike July 21, 2007 6:03 AM EDT
She is a scumb ugly freak. Anyone who would abused a mentally handicapped person is the lowest form of scum. This person should behind bars for life!
Reply to this comment
by shanev137 July 21, 2007 4:35 AM EDT
i'll bet she voted for bush....twice.
Reply to this comment
by michellem99-2009 July 21, 2007 3:20 AM EDT
What about her license to have foster children,surely they have to have it. If the foster homes are not licensed than they oaoght be nation wide. The states take the children from their parents and placing them in abuse foster homes and that the same time lying to the child's family. I lived in foster homes so I can talk the talk as I know what goes on.You think they get the love and care they truly need think again. I am alegally blind and phy handicapped. They demaned more than I was able. It was a battle to 'member where things went sinse I could'nt see so the wack for this/that. I wish foster parents like this one be treated worst than the children.
to drive the message home that is not right.
Reply to this comment
by stevex47 July 21, 2007 1:58 AM EDT
Her own private gitmo or abu ghraib.
Reply to this comment
by keithle1 July 21, 2007 12:12 AM EDT
That's a woman? So girly girly.
Reply to this comment
by robertkjjj July 21, 2007 12:09 AM EDT
Anyone who would post the same long-winded message 4 times ina roaw on this board is scum. My heart goes out to anyone who has to hold down their page-down button for 10 minutes to get past such nonsense. Apparently some people just assume that nobody will see their "contributions" unless they fill everyone's RAM to the brink with it. It just breaks my heart that everyone here has to see such *** on CBS.
Reply to this comment
by gwtwboofy July 20, 2007 11:29 PM EDT
Anyone who would abused a mentally handicapped person is the lowest form of scum. I hope this woman gets the same kind of treatment one day that she gave these kids.
There seems to be a pattern forming in Florida. Remember the little girl in foster care who turned up missing and the social worker had lied about making visits to the home? Are these more kids who got "lost" in Florida's system? I doubt very seriously that they were kidnapped. "Authorities investigated Leekin in 1999, but the case was closed when she left the area, police said." WHY was the case closed? Obviously, they didn't investigate very well, did they?
My heart goes out to these handicapped kids and adults. The parents of all mentally handicapped kids have got to be tormented by the thoughts of what will happen to their kids when they are too old to care for them or when they die, because they obviously can't trust foster care or the state to look after their children after they are gone. These kids are falling through the cracks and being subjected to physical and sexual abuse every day and it just breaks my heart.
Reply to this comment
by gwtwboofy July 20, 2007 11:29 PM EDT
Anyone who would abused a mentally handicapped person is the lowest form of scum. I hope this woman gets the same kind of treatment one day that she gave these kids.
There seems to be a pattern forming in Florida. Remember the little girl in foster care who turned up missing and the social worker had lied about making visits to the home? Are these more kids who got "lost" in Florida's system? I doubt very seriously that they were kidnapped. "Authorities investigated Leekin in 1999, but the case was closed when she left the area, police said." WHY was the case closed? Obviously, they didn't investigate very well, did they?
My heart goes out to these handicapped kids and adults. The parents of all mentally handicapped kids have got to be tormented by the thoughts of what will happen to their kids when they are too old to care for them or when they die, because they obviously can't trust foster care or the state to look after their children after they are gone. These kids are falling through the cracks and being subjected to physical and sexual abuse every day and it just breaks my heart.
Reply to this comment
by gwtwboofy July 20, 2007 11:29 PM EDT
Anyone who would abused a mentally handicapped person is the lowest form of scum. I hope this woman gets the same kind of treatment one day that she gave these kids.
There seems to be a pattern forming in Florida. Remember the little girl in foster care who turned up missing and the social worker had lied about making visits to the home? Are these more kids who got "lost" in Florida's system? I doubt very seriously that they were kidnapped. "Authorities investigated Leekin in 1999, but the case was closed when she left the area, police said." WHY was the case closed? Obviously, they didn't investigate very well, did they?
My heart goes out to these handicapped kids and adults. The parents of all mentally handicapped kids have got to be tormented by the thoughts of what will happen to their kids when they are too old to care for them or when they die, because they obviously can't trust foster care or the state to look after their children after they are gone. These kids are falling through the cracks and being subjected to physical and sexual abuse every day and it just breaks my heart.
Reply to this comment
by mygramma July 20, 2007 11:04 PM EDT
"It is going to take SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to clean the stain of the Republicrap Party from the face of this tired and shamed Nation!" Posted by JackSteen1.

Jack, you are soooo right. I am so ashamed and demoralized that our basic values embodied in the constitution have been so thoroughly trashed, our world reputation destroyed by the Christian fundamentalist fanatics around Bush who push on to the "Rapture" that will surely be brought about by their Armageddon.

I don't think we can recover. Dirt bags like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hanity will see to it.
Reply to this comment
by konabike July 20, 2007 10:56 PM EDT
She should be handcuffed in her prison cell for rest of her life. I hope she gets raped in the A**.
Reply to this comment
by thatgirl702 July 20, 2007 10:47 PM EDT
Every body seems to be under the impression that these children/handicapped adults were obtained legally, did any of you stop to think that maybe they were kidnapped? The article does say she had fake birth certificates. What if she was making them for her captives as well as herself?
Reply to this comment
by boston1954 July 20, 2007 9:14 PM EDT
That mean old hag looks like she climbed the ugly tree, slipped and hit every branch on the way down.Posted by salty1954
__________

In the middle of a serious story I see this and just about fall off the chair laughing.
Reply to this comment
by mediabrat60 July 20, 2007 9:13 PM EDT
To toldyouso21:
That story you told about losing the the little boy, that was a DCFS SNAFU!! The police had his last name when they picked him up from the co workers.
DCFS just never paid attention, as they often do.

This story above would be case and point if this bulldog really were a foster home. DCFS is just too eager to get rid of responsibility!
Reply to this comment
See all 76 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: