The 16-year-old victims informed investigators their mom drugged them and the boy had a seizure after she gave him 24 Benadryl tablets. (WARNING: Disturbing content material)
CYPRESS, Texas — WARNING: Contains graphic content material
The Cypress twins who escaped from their house this week shared unimaginable tales of the torture they endured, allegedly by the hands of their very own mom and her boyfriend.
Zaikiya  Duncan, 40, and Jova Terrell, 27, were arrested in Baton Rouge. Tuesday. She’s charged with injury to a child and aggravated assault in Harris County. He’s charged with steady violence towards a member of the family.
The torture
In charging paperwork obtained by KHOU 11, the 16-year-old boy and lady have been questioned by investigators at Texas Children’s Hospital. They described a number of examples of the horrific abuse that they mentioned befell behind closed doorways of the big house on Marina Alto Lane.
The boy mentioned Duncan as soon as gave him 24 Benadryl tablets to make him sleep they usually brought about him to have a seizure. After that, he mentioned she lowered the dosage to twenty tablets. The lady was additionally given an unspecified quantity of Benadryl.
RELATED: Twins whose escape from Cypress house led to couple’s arrest suffered horrific abuse, neighbor says
The victims mentioned their mom poured bleach down their throats and on their genitals till it burned their skin. She additionally made them drink cleaners like Lysol and Easy Off in the event that they “talked too much,” in accordance with court docket paperwork.
They informed the corporal they weren’t allowed to make use of the restroom and have been pressured to defecate and urinate on themselves after which eat and drink it. They solely had soiled water from a mop bucket to clean off.Â
They mentioned their mom beat them with extension cords, curtain rods and different steel poles and Terrell typically punched the boy.
The victims informed the corporal they have been starved and fed solely mustard sandwiches, relish sandwiches or bologna sandwiches one to 3 occasions per week. Investigators mentioned the twins have been severely malnourished.
They have been stored bare and handcuffed to a dolly within the laundry room and their ft have been typically zip-tied. Both have cuts, bruises and scars on their wrists and ankles, together with different elements of their our bodies, court docket paperwork mentioned
“When you see it in person, it just hits on a different level. It’s so sad, it’s a flood of emotions,” a lady who took them in mentioned. “You just don’t understand how little innocent kids go through this.”
Houston Children’s Assessment Center psychologist Dr. Whitney Crowson mentioned kids who are suffering this sort of abuse can get well with correct assist.
“Oftentimes, we predict there’s no method they will get by way of all of this, however kids are a lot extra resilient than we give them credit score for,” she said. “Really, what they want is ongoing and constant help.
To report abuse, name the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
How they escaped
The boy mentioned he discovered the handcuff key in his mom’s purse and hid it in his mouth. Around 5 a.m. Tuesday, they unlocked {the handcuffs} and ran door to door by way of the neighborhood pleading for assist, court docket paperwork say.Â
The boy was shirtless and the lady was utilizing a grocery bag for a shirt. Both have been barefoot and shivering when a lady in a close-by subdivision answered her door despite the fact that she mentioned she was “terrified.”
“They said, ‘Can you help us, can you help us?'” the lady mentioned. “They were so skinny and so frail. They just looked like they had been through a lot.”
She wrapped them in blankets and fed them, and mentioned each have been very well mannered at the same time as they started describing a number of the abuse.Â
“The more I asked and realized how severe the situation was, it was just a flood of emotions that came over me,” she informed KHOU reporter Anayeli Ruiz. “How a mother could do this to her kids and… I feel like my tears are out of frustration, anger and sadness.”
The good Samaritan then referred to as the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office. The teenagers have been taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Katy and deputies have been despatched to their house to research. By then, Duncan, Terrell and 5 youthful boys, ages 8 to 14, have been gone and an AMBER Alert was issued.
Hours later, Zaikiya Duncan, 40, and Jova Terrell, 27, were arrested in Baton Rouge. Only one youngster was with the couple once they have been arrested. The different 4 boys have been later discovered protected with kinfolk in Louisiana. All seven kids have been positioned in Child Protective Service custody, in accordance with authorities.
The twins who escaped informed investigators their 12-year-old twin brothers have been additionally abused and compelled to remain in a restroom.
RELATED: Woman accused of abusing her kids lengthy earlier than Tuesday’s AMBER Alert
History of abuse
It’s not the primary time Duncan has been arrested and charged in reference to youngster abuse.
According to Louisiana court docket paperwork from 10 years in the past, a then 5-year-old youngster of Duncan’s was taken from college to an area hospital to be handled for burns to his ft, genitals, and different elements of his physique. Doctors decided it was seemingly the results of being burned by scorching water. The boy additionally had bruises on his torso, again, hip and buttocks.
According to the documents, when police went to Duncan’s home, they found a 20-month-old child wrapped in clothing with his hands bound. The only other person in the home was the child’s 4-year-old brother, according to the documents.
During questioning, police said Duncan admitted to routinely disciplining one child by making him get into a push-up position for up to an hour, causing the child’s hands to swell. The child was also forced to sleep on the closet floor, court documents said. The door of the closet was blocked by boards to keep the child from “escaping” and “stealing food from the kitchen,” court records said.
Police reported at the time that two of Duncan’s other children also showed signs of abuse and were removed from the home. They said Duncan admitted she had been investigated for abuse of the children in the past. She was charged with cruelty to juveniles.
It’s not clear how long Duncan and her current boyfriend had lived in the house on Marina Alto Lane, close to the intersection of West Road and Fry Road. The teenagers mentioned they’d moved there not too long ago.Â
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