Cops: Fla. Woman Kept 9 Handcuffed At Home

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

(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."

[itsnotaboutu]

Oh, pretty. This thing ought to brighten up the cell block!

[michellem99-2009]

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.

[Netterz]

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.

[lcsw-fl]

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.

[zootallures2]

I think we've found a new spieces of animal that preys on humans by disguising itself as one.

[drummer94]

One sick beeotch. And the "system" was, where?

[konabike]

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!

[shanev137]

i'll bet she voted for bush....twice.

[michellem99-2009]

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.

[stevex47]

Her own private gitmo or abu ghraib.

[keithle1]

That's a woman? So girly girly.

[robertkjjj]

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.

[gwtwboofy]

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.

[gwtwboofy]

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.

[gwtwboofy]

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.

[mygramma]

"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.

[konabike]

She should be handcuffed in her prison cell for rest of her life. I hope she gets raped in the A**.

[thatgirl702]

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?

[boston1954]

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.

[mediabrat60]

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!