wow, this is astounding. first of all, i was thinking the same thing as floh.. why is the oldest daughter, who would have been locked away since age 14, the worst off of the bunch? normally the younger you are the more permanently this kind of abuse/isolation damages you. so, did she grow up with a normal life before that? if so, how could she just forget everything she learned, or not try to escape? i have to wonder if she had been slowly malnourished since the time she was a child.
also, that photo of the mother...??!!? she looks like a glamour queen, like she really has some kind of perfect veneer she has been holding together. it's actually MORE bizarre to look at her and see that, instead of some dishevelled looking woman, as one might expect.
futhermore, i am with the folks who think the dad was definitely partially responsible- ESPECIALLY since he was a judge. you mean to tell me he had no power to do anything? heck, even the neighbor (whom i presume was not a judge)-- got more done that he did. i don't buy "he tried". he obviously did not try HARD ENOUGH! those are HIS children. how could you not just go down there and break down the door yourself? you better believe i would have done that if i were him, and my wife was denying letting me see my children or letting me know how they were.
and,... there was excrement & waste in the house a meter high....?? OK-- i don't know if i buy that. that's like up to your waist!! how is that possible??!
i always thought people like this mother have a form of hoarding disorder. they can't let go of things (in this case, can't bear to let their children out of the house), the house is usually a complete wreck, they don't notice the unbelievable filth they are living in. and often they can function perfectly normally in the outside world. in fact, they are often known for being fastidiously neat and clean outside their home (which is what could be true, with this lady, judging by her appearance in the photo).
the hoarders who have pets don't notice or care that their pets are sick or suffering- they will deny it to the end and insist they are fine. same with people with too much stuff- all the stuff can be ruined by neglect and they will still be obsessively attached to it. it's like a serious kind of 'mind-blindness' going on.
in this case it actually DOES appear that this woman is severely mentally unbalanced, not just a bad mother. OK, maybe both.
but i don't understand how on earth she could keep it together enough to be a successful lawyer...???? and no one noticed anything odd.....????
those poor girls,, i can't imagine the shock of what they are going through. i hope as they get proper food, care & socialization they will eventually learn some semblance of a normal life and some happiness, and realize they are far better off than they were. thank gawd for the 'nosy' neighbor.. if they didn't say anything, who knows how long the girls would have been captive? i also wonder what it was that made them suspicious.
also, that photo of the mother...??!!? she looks like a glamour queen, like she really has some kind of perfect veneer she has been holding together. it's actually MORE bizarre to look at her and see that, instead of some dishevelled looking woman, as one might expect.
futhermore, i am with the folks who think the dad was definitely partially responsible- ESPECIALLY since he was a judge. you mean to tell me he had no power to do anything? heck, even the neighbor (whom i presume was not a judge)-- got more done that he did. i don't buy "he tried". he obviously did not try HARD ENOUGH! those are HIS children. how could you not just go down there and break down the door yourself? you better believe i would have done that if i were him, and my wife was denying letting me see my children or letting me know how they were.
and,... there was excrement & waste in the house a meter high....?? OK-- i don't know if i buy that. that's like up to your waist!! how is that possible??!
i always thought people like this mother have a form of hoarding disorder. they can't let go of things (in this case, can't bear to let their children out of the house), the house is usually a complete wreck, they don't notice the unbelievable filth they are living in. and often they can function perfectly normally in the outside world. in fact, they are often known for being fastidiously neat and clean outside their home (which is what could be true, with this lady, judging by her appearance in the photo).
the hoarders who have pets don't notice or care that their pets are sick or suffering- they will deny it to the end and insist they are fine. same with people with too much stuff- all the stuff can be ruined by neglect and they will still be obsessively attached to it. it's like a serious kind of 'mind-blindness' going on.
in this case it actually DOES appear that this woman is severely mentally unbalanced, not just a bad mother. OK, maybe both.
but i don't understand how on earth she could keep it together enough to be a successful lawyer...???? and no one noticed anything odd.....????
those poor girls,, i can't imagine the shock of what they are going through. i hope as they get proper food, care & socialization they will eventually learn some semblance of a normal life and some happiness, and realize they are far better off than they were. thank gawd for the 'nosy' neighbor.. if they didn't say anything, who knows how long the girls would have been captive? i also wonder what it was that made them suspicious.
Just like I said he wasn't at fault - of course I don't know that, it was just my first gut feeling. 
