A Dozen Children Seized From Incest Family 'Cult'

Kimberly Colt is only 13 years old, but she's already had sexual contact with her uncle Dwayne—who is 9—while her aunt Carmen, 8, watched. She can't read or write, because she can barely see or hear, and she doesn't know how to clean her teeth, use toilet paper, or comb her hair. Kimberly is one of 12 children who has been seized in New South Wales, Australia, in one of the most startling cases of incest and depravity ever reported anywhere. The children range from age 5 to 15, the AFP reports, and genetic testing reveals that in 11 cases, their parents are related.

They were found with roughly 30 adults, a multi-generational incestuous family—or, as the New Zealand Herald characterizes it, a "family cult"—tracing back to one pair of great-great grandparents, who were brother and sister. Police found the clan last year, after getting reports of children who weren't in school, and the case was so insane that the Children's Court made the rare move this week of publishing its findings, using the false family name "Colt" to keep the children anonymous. The story was first reported by news.com.au in excruciating detail. Here are some of those excruciating details, if you can stomach them:

• The family lived in tents and temporary sheds, moving around frequently to avoid detection. They had no running water, toilets, or showers. The area was littered with exposed electrical wires, chainsaws, and garbage.
• The children were filthy, diseased, and covered in sores. Most had fungal infections on their feet.
• In most cases their speech was unintelligible. They were uneducated, and many could not read or count; one 15-year-old had a kindergarten-level learning ability.
• They had no concept of hygiene, either personal or dental—one boy's teeth were described as "extensively decayed."
• The inbreeding left many with deformities and disabilities. One girl was described as having dysmorphic features, another boy had misaligned eyes.
• Children frequently had sex with each other, and with adults. Other specific examples in the report include two sisters sexually touching their three brothers, and in another instance three brothers tying their 8-year-old sister naked to a tree.
• When girls became pregnant, they would often miscarry on the farm rather than visit a hospital or doctor who might ask questions.
• A kangaroo was found sleeping on one child's bed. The children apparently habitually mutilated the genitalia of animals.

There's far too much to list. For more of the details, see the original report. You can also see the full family tree here. (More incest stories.)