Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones

State also says boys may have been sexually abused
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 30, 2008 6:53 PM CDT
Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones
A bus with women and children of the Yearning for Zion Ranch, home for members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, pulls into the Methodist Children's Home.   (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

Of 463 children seized from a Texas polygamist compound, 41 show evidence of broken bones at a young age, the Dallas Morning News reports. "Several of these fractures have been found in very young children," said the head of Child Protective Services, which also said it's looking into possible sexual abuse of sect boys.

A spokesman for the Yearning for Zion ranch called the testimony "propaganda to make a case that cannot be proved. It will never be able to be backed up with any facts." Texas officials also said the state had difficulty keeping track of children because mothers lied about their identities, sometimes changing clothes with one another, and tampered with ID bracelets. (More polygamy stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X