Twin Girls Rescued: 8-Year-Old Twins Found Starving, Mom Charged With Abuse

Twin girls were rescued from a home in Yakima, Washington, where they were being abused and neglected by their mom. According to People Magazine, the 8-year-old twins were found locked in a bedroom, starving, and in poor health.

The children were taken out of the home by some relatives. They were both extremely underweight, both weighing just 40 pounds (the average weight of an 8-year-old girl is about 50-64 pounds, according to Baby Center).

Severely malnourished 8-year-old twin girls were rescued and their mom charged with abuse http://t.co/zoNHi5JXC3 pic.twitter.com/T8xGkTCGE7

— People magazine (@people) February 26, 2015

Once police learned of the case, they went to the home of 28-year-old Kai Martinez. They eventually found her hiding in a closet and placed her under arrest.

“Martinez advised that she did not have a ‘bond’ with the girls and didn’t feel a ‘connection’ with them,” read the affidavit in part.

The twin girls rescued were given food, which they say was the first meal they’d had “in quite a while.” According to NOLA.com, there were other children at home with Martinez, though it’s unclear how many, and they were all placed in protective custody. As for Martinez, she has been charged with multiple counts of criminal mistreatment and assault of a child.

The twins say that they each saw their mother abuse their sister. Aside from keeping the girls hungry, Martinez allegedly got violent with her kids too. One of the girls recalled being stuffed under the faucet in an apparent drowning attempt. Another twin said she was hit in the face with a piece of frozen chicken, and she still had the scar on her forehead to prove it.

Earlier this month, a couple in Oregon was arrested after starving their 7-month-old baby to death. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the couple wasn’t arrested until after an autopsy was completed. Now, 26-year-old Stephen Michael Williams Jr. and 21-year-old Amanda Marie Hancock are being held accountable for the child’s death.

“A probable-cause affidavit filed by deputies says the parents told investigators they did pornography, which involved the mother self-lactating while others paid to watch online. The two also said they fed the baby milk but never took him to a doctor, despite signs he was losing weight,” reported Oregon Live.

The couple’s other child, a 2-year-old, has been placed in protective custody.

As for the twin girls who were rescued in Washington, they went to stay with relatives, where they are properly being cared for at this time.

[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]