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Sisters recount physical, sexual abuse in WA foster home
Washington State agreed to pay three sisters $15 million over allegations of years of physical and sexual abuse within the foster care system.
SEATTLE - Washington State agreed to pay three sisters $15 million over allegations of years of physical and sexual abuse within the foster care system.
FOX 13 News sat down with Rachel, Sylvia, and Jennifer — three sisters who say they lived in a foster home full of nightmares in the 90s.
"As long as I remember, I know my abusers. I remember them taking my diapers off," said the youngest sister, Rachel.
In 1990, the state removed the girls, all under 7 years old, from their parents and placed them with strangers.
The foster care system, built to protect children, instead threw them into the fire, the sisters said.
"I was raised to love my abusers," said Rachel.
Documents obtained by FOX 13 News show the Centralia foster home was already crowded before the sisters arrived with seven biological children.
"Hours and hours alone with these older kids that were able to spank us, tell us what to do, tie me to a highchair," said Rachel.
When the foster parents were home, the sisters say they faced physical punishments for the smallest mistakes.
But the most disturbing memory from these victims' childhood is when they were left alone with their much older teenage foster brothers.
"First it started out as like, ‘We’re playing house, or we’re going to exercise,’" said Sylvia.
"My abusers would sneak into my room at night, or there was a door in the bathroom downstairs that they would come through," said Rachel.
The sisters said they dealt with constant sexual assaults for a decade.
When they finally came forward to report the abuse, the sisters tell FOX 13 News their foster parents manipulated them with religion.
"Both of [the sister’s foster brothers] admitted [to the abuse], and that’s when we started to pray," said Rachel. "And we were told we had to forgive them before we left."
Deposition records that FOX 13 News obtained show the sister’s foster mom acknowledged that her two biological children admitted to sexually abusing the women.
In the brothers’ depositions, they both pleaded the Fifth when asked about the abuse.
"In this case, the state did virtually nothing for five years to supervise and protect these three young kids, and then cosigned on an adoption in this horror house of a foster home," said Vincent Nappo.
Nappo and Mallory Allen are attorneys at Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala. They worked on the case for years.
"What was going on at this home was there to be seen, and I think the settlement reflects that the state knew that. They know that they utterly failed in their responsibilities," said Allen. "State law requires [social workers] to come every 30 days. There were zero visits when there should have been upwards of sixty-some visits. Each of those would have been an opportunity to see what was happening with their own two eyes in this home," she added.
The deposition documents show the social worker in the sister’s case admitted to not documenting a single visit for years. That same document also shows the social worker was aware of a sexual incident early on within the foster home.
The girls reported one of the brothers spying on them while changing, but no action was seemingly taken.
Instead of this case getting its day in court, the state chose to settle for $15 million.
WA to pay $15M to 3 women sexually abused in foster home for years
The State of Washington has agreed to pay $15 million to three sisters who were sexually abused for years at a foster home in Centralia, according to attorneys representing them.
"There’s no justice, like, with what’s happening, because everyone got away with it, it seems like. So, and we are walking away with all the trauma, and they get to just still keep living their life," said Sylvia.
"I just hope that this, today, will help people hear our side and help other children know they’re not alone, and that this happens all the time," said Rachel.
This case was in civil court and not criminal. Because of that, FOX 13 News is not naming any of the people accused of assault or using the last names of the women.
FOX 13 News reached out to the Department of Social and Health Services — who was in charge of CPS at the time — the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, who is now in charge of CPS, and the state’s Attorney General's Office, who represented the case.
All of them declined the opportunity to comment.
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