Police: Tulsa Foster Parents Sexually Abused And Neglected Nine Children In Their Care

Police in Tulsa have reportedly arrested a pair of foster parents after they say they discovered evidence of child abuse and neglect. News 6 reports that married couple Paul and Amy Sanders are accused of committing a laundry list of crimes against the nine children who have been in their care. The details surrounding this case are shocking to say the least.

Police reportedly became aware of the situation when the Department of Human Services received numerous complaints against the Tulsa couple. However, DHS workers reportedly left the kids in their care, even after becoming aware of alleged abuse and neglect against them. Reports haven’t clarified on how long this abuse took place, but it wasn’t until this year that an investigation was opened against the couple.

Both Paul and Amy Sanders are accused of sexually and physically abusing the nine children in their car as foster parents. The ages of the children range from the ages of 2 and 15-years-old. Police say that the children have made statements against their foster parents, indicating that they were kept in deplorable conditions and treated horribly. The children told police that they were kept in a mice-infested home, and that they could feel the rodents running over them at night as they tried to sleep.

The children also claim that they were deprived of food, declaring that their foster parents ate all the food and refused to give them any. Many of the nine children in the home were incredibly underweight, indicative that they were indeed being deprived of food. Police also say that the home “reeked of urine,” and that the children weren’t given proper comforts or necessities. More than one child allegedly didn’t have a bed in the home and slept on plastic. Authorities say that the children were also deprived of clean clothing.

The foster parents in this case have reportedly been drawing money from the state in exchange for caring for the nine children in their home. On top of that, authorities say that the couple had also sought money through multiple GoFundMe postings.

This isn’t the first time foster parents have been arrested or accused of shocking crimes against the children in their care. Last year, a 23-year-old foster mom by the name of Danielle Clark was arrested when a baby in her care was taken to a hospital with multiple injuries. The woman was charged with assault with risk of injury after police found evidence that she had beaten the six-month-old boy.

Earlier this year, two foster parents out of Benton, Arkansas, were arrested for alleged child abuse. The suspected victim was a nine-year-old child, who reportedly alerted school officials to possible abuse when he showed up at school showing signs of violence on his person. The boy’s foster father is accused of beating and abusing him, while his foster mom is accused of “permitting” the abuse.

As for this latest case out of Tulsa, the two foster parents accused of molesting, abusing and neglecting the kids in their care are reportedly free to walk the streets after being charged. They are currently refusing to speak to reporters who are showing interest in this shocking case of child mistreatment. Meanwhile, authorities with DHS have released a statement indicating that the Tulsa couple has lost their rights as foster parents.

“In January 2016, DHS opened a joint investigation with Tulsa Police Department on the Sanders family. At that time, all of the children in the home were removed and no children have been in their care since. Our leadership is very disturbed by the details of this case and have been conducting an internal review of the facts as well as the actions of assigned staff. We will not hesitate to take appropriate action as is warranted.”

[Images via Tulsa Police]