A disturbing incident unfolded in a Texas backyard involving a 22-year-old woman with physical and mental disabilities. However, it was a watchful neighbor that authorities were alerted to the situation. The woman, Emily, was found locked inside a dog kennel wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants. She was visibly scared and distressed, pounding on the kennel door to be let out. She wanted to use the bathroom and was calling out to her 60-year-old foster parent, named Kandice Thompson, a.k.a. Candy.
The entire incident was caught on camera by the 24-year-old neighbor named Justin Anderson. He’d heard Emily’s pleas for quite some time, which prompted him to check what was happening next door. He could tell the noise wasn’t normal, and upon reaching his neighbor, Anderson was shocked to witness the condition she was in, as she repeatedly admitted that such abuse had happened to her a lot.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Justin said, “I heard something that didn’t sound right at all.” The enclosure in which Emily was kept was secured with tight wire fencing, tarps, and a metal lock, imprisoning her like an animal.
As he started recording, Anderson met the foster woman, who tried to explain it away that it was Emily who’d started misbehaving and had caused damage. Disturbed by the situation he witnessed at crime scene, the 24-year-old promptly dialed 911 and alerted the authorities about the abuse. Authorities from Anson Police were swiftly dispatched and arrived quickly and rescued the 22-year-old
A 22 year old disabled woman in Anson Texas was discovered locked in a dog kennel by her neighbor Justin Anderson. Kandice Thompson locked the 22 year old woman in the kennel with complaints of urine and rummaging in the home. pic.twitter.com/iIgzXfEQvw
— Tarver News (@TarverNews_) December 4, 2025
Officers found Emily’s situation to be far worse than they expected. Behind the wooden fence of the Texas home’s backyard, they found a woman confined inside a kennel, treated like an animal. She had only light clothing on, despite the cold., even on a chilly night. Despite the excuses Thompson gave to justify the situation, authorities charged her with aggravated kidnapping, injury to a disabled individual, unlawful restraint, endangerment, and assault.
Kandice Thompson has a history of fostering adults and children. In fact, Emily has been with her for a long time now, and this behavior shows a complete disregard for basic humanity. The 60-year-old is a widow of a former police chief, and her actions are now under increased scrutiny now more than ever. If it weren’t for the quick and effective attention of the neighbor, Justin Anderson, to Emily’s pleas and cries, she may not have been rescued from the dog kennel.
⚠️ WARNING: This post describes severe abuse & kidnapping of a disabled adult
Kandice ‘Candy’ Thompson, 60, a longtime foster caregiver in Anson, Texas, has been arrested & charged with aggravated kidnapping, injury to a disabled individual, unlawful restraint, endangerment, &… pic.twitter.com/U53LiR2AxN
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 8, 2025
Recalling the incident, Anderson revealed that he had been hearing strange noises from next door for a while. IIt sounded like someone was behind the fence, and he could not ignore it. Remembering what Emily said from inside the kennel, Justin said, “Just screaming, ‘I have to pee, I’m scared,’ and then you hear banging, like a chain link fence.” He went in to check with his wife whether she had also heard it. They both did, and that was when Justin decided to check what had been going on.
In an interview with Criminally Obsessed, he said,, he said, “’I first yell, “Is everything okay over there?”And I did hear nothing, and you know she keeps screaming continuously. Dispatchers could hear her screaming in the background, and it wasn’t even on speaker, didn’t know if I could reach over the fence then,’ he said. ‘But I did reach over when the cop got there, and he saw what was going on.’ My first thought was to keep recording. That way, nothing can be hearsay. Everything is shown. That’s evidence right there of what’s happening and what’s going on.”
When the police reached the house, they found Emily trapped outside and pleading for help. Allegedly, Kandice had two other kids inside the house while she chained the 22-year-old in the cold.
When she was confronted by the neighbors for her behavior, the foster parent claimed that Emily had been urinating all over inside her house, leaving a mess. Because of the situation, police removed the two other vulnerable adults from her care. Meanwhile, Kandice was booked into the Jones County Jail.
