Carole Ann DeLeon
Carole DeLeon, a 52-year-old ex-paralegal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Spokane, has the dubious honor of being one of a select group of people who abused foster children in more than one state.
In Wyoming, back in 1987, DeLeon applied to be a foster parent, writing on the application that she loved to cook breakfasts for children of all ages. Due to the ever-problematic shortage of foster parents, her application was processed quickly and she was given a 12-year-old girl to take care of.
Shortly after the girl was placed in Carole DeLeon’s home, things started to go downhill for her. The foster child was never allowed to talk to neighbors, or go outside by herself. One incident involving the girl saying “hello” to a dog resulted in the child having to apologize to it.
A later investigation by the area sheriffs found that the foster girl spent most of her time in DeLeon’s care cowering in the basement or doing chores on DeLeon’s land like feeding chickens and milking goats.
Carole DeLeon’s Wyoming foster child gravy train came to an end when a babysitter for the girl noticed bruises and was able to get the whole story. Evidently DeLeon had hit the girl in the face a few times and was regularly depriving her of food. Once, while especially hungry, the girl ate three pieces of cheese that hadn’t been authorized by DeLeon. Once her foster mother found out, she tied the girl’s hands behind her with needlepoint yarn and forced her to sleep alone in the dark, unfinished basement.
Once the abuse had become apparent, the foster child was taken from DeLeon’s home by child services. Shortly thereafter, her two biological sons, who had been living with their father up until this point, moved in to live with their mom.
After several disturbance calls to the police and with the discovery that the two boys were bruised and bloody, those kids were removed from her home as well.
A pattern is kind of emerging with this woman, isn’t it?
Carole DeLeon moved from Wyoming to Washington, where she again applied for a foster-care license in 1996. She didn’t mention on that application that she had already had children taken from her in another state, which might have been an indicator that she might not be the best person to put kids with for any length of time.
Carole DeLeon took in about 14 foster children while she was in Washington, adopting five. One of the five was adopted in 1998 at the age of four months. His name was Tyler. He was, before he moved in, normal-sized for his age.
Tyler lived with Carole DeLeon for 7 years. During that time he had frequent hospital visits for things like deep lacerations in his hand, bruises, unexplained blood in his ear and a broken femur.
At one point Tyler’s two front teeth were knocked out.
And teachers were starting to get really concerned that he just wasn’t growing.
From the time he was nine months until he was seven, he gained a total of eight pounds.
Nobody was concerned enough to contact child services, of course, but when the mother of the child tells you that he has a medical problem involving the boy gorging himself sick and that’s why she sends him to school with a slice of bread, a few gulps of milk and a carrot stick – I guess that makes sense, huh?
Carole DeLeon made sure that teachers kept Tyler away from fluids, warning them that he would drink water from the toilet or puddles on the ground if they let him.
He was a thirsty boy.
On the night before Tyler DeLeon’s 7th birthday, he was so desperately thirsty that he pulled at the screen of his bedroom window long enough to rip a hole in it – so he could melt snow in his mouth.
The day after his birthday, Tyler DeLeon was dead. He weighed just 28 pounds, about the size of your average 2-year-old or two frozen turkeys.
Several other children in Carole DeLeon’s care were suffering abuse along the same lines. Carole had excuses for everything.
A second boy in the DeLeon home was also failing to grow at an acceptable rate. After the boy was removed from Carole DeLeon’s care, in four months he gained 18 pounds.
A third foster child removed from Carole DeLeon’s home also didn’t weigh what she should and was so dehydrated that she needed an I.V.
Update:
Carole DeLeong took a plea deal. She was given a six year prison sentence in exchange for her guilty plea, avoiding a life sentence.
At Carole Ann DeLeon’s sentencing, Superior Court Judge Al Nielson said:
I don’t remember a case, ever, that had the extremes of facts and emotions and the positions of the different parties. But there is a betrayal of the sacred obligation that all parents have to care for and provide the necessities of children. I do conclude that was recklessly disregarded.
While she was in the courtroom, over 20 people were picketing outside, walking up and down the sidewalk with signs calling for harsher punishment and a recall of Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen – who had agreed to allow Carole DeLeon to enter Alford pleas for the mistreatment charges, meaning that she didn’t accept guilt but acknowledged that she could have been convicted at trial.
Through her attorney, Carole DeLeon has said she intends to continue a legal fight to regain custody of four children she had previously adopted.
One of her adopted sons, who is now living with another couple, wrote a letter that was read to the courtroom, describing nightmares that he had about Carole DeLeon and how he started crying when he learned that DeLeon would someday be released from prison:
I think it was not fair that Ty died and I want some justice for Ty. He never got to go fishing and he never got to play baseball. When Ty first died, I was scared Carole would kill the rest of us kids. I don’t want to be known as Carole DeLeon’s son.
Obviously, the death of Tyler affected Tyler’s biological sister, who lived in the DeLeon home and has since been placed elsewhere.
According to Patricia Markel, a court-appointed guardian for the children who were removed from DeLeon’s home, Tyler’s sister “cries for her biological brother, Tyler.” Crying as she spoke to the courtroom:
In her attempt, as a 6-year-old, to reconcile what happened to Tyler, she tells me Carole killed him. And she says Tyler is in heaven and when it rains the raindrops are his tears.
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21 Comments »
what a BITCH
and to think…schools call cps on so much less than that. wtf? i don’t understand how someone gets pleasure in harming others.
That is just disgusting! Man this is f**ked up!!!
“They were abused in a licensed foster home,” said Cynthia Novotny, one
of the lawyers representing the children. “And despite 16 CPS (Child
Protective Services) referrals, CPS did nothing to protect these kids.”
that little boy was my nephew and to think that she was that type of person when you meet her you think she is the best person in the world and than she did this because of her no good ways she killed my nephew and she only got six years for it i hope that the next six years are hell and they beat her and starve her just like she did to our little ty
Mam I am sorry abour your famalie’s loss. You and your family are in my prayers.
Updated the post with more information from the trial, statements made and sentencing information.
Is she crying? I LOVE IT!
I’d increase the torture. I like to see tears because that’ll make the pain worse.
A few punches to her face would probably do the trick. If not, I’d hit her in the face a few times with a shovel. Don’t cry there lady. It’s all your fault.
His 6 yr. old sister said “Tyler is in heaven, and when it rains the raindrops are his tears”
OMG this makes me cry!
What is with people being foster parents that dont even seem to like kids?? the monthly check??
i mean how much does it really pay?
It can pay very, very well. Think about it. If you have 8 kids, 5 of them special needs kids, and you’re getting paid $900 – 1500 per month for each….you’re talking a lot of money for someone who gets to stay home all day.
There are foster families who do well. This was not one of them.
$900-1500/month for EACH KID?!?! Damn
admin – Yeah, check this out:
That being the case, I would think it would be more profitable to keep the kid alive. You don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
I still, cant get my head around the bit where the school noticed he had bruises and wasnt growing and yet failed to call Child Protection Services.
And all those trips to the doctors. Didnt the Doctor think something was wrong? Doctors know all about the rate kids are supposed to grow. And they didnt think it was unusual that he was so small and underweight?
People need to stop being so scared of jumping to the wrong conclusion. Id rather be made to look like a nosy fool than to fail to report a child who seems to be in danger.
I can’t believe someone would do that. She must be crazy.
I agree about the doctor and CPS workers. A foster child is supposed to have a biyearly review of circumstances. Any bruises or medical visits are paid for by the state. Why didn’t someone in accounts payable catch that this little boy was seeing the doctor way too much? Also, why wasn’t there a background check ran on her in Washington. CPS should have checked further into the databases. Maybe the screening isn’t good enough for these already lost and lonely children.
Your information isn’t entirely correct; Tyler’s schools repeatedly contacted CPS about him.
“Even if the other professionals didn’t recognize problems, Tyler’s teachers saw something was amiss. On numerous occasions, Tyler and his foster brother told teachers they were abused by DeLeon and her adult daughter, and the school called CPS several times.
Both women denied abusing the boys. The boys told investigators their stories but were deemed not credible.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003765789_abuse28m.html
CPS just didn’t do anything.
I understand that foster carers need to be paid an allowance but to make it that profitable is just encouraging greedy inappropriate applicants… SIX YEARS? I can’t fathom that one out at all! The Sick twisted bitch def for hell in my opinion… ;(
Only six years for that evil bitch?!! Dispicable!!
I would love to be a foster carer, and not for the money. It’s because i adore children and have been taking care of them since the age of 6. However, i have suffered from depression in the past, and i’ve heard that something like that could hinder my chances of fostering. So when i hear stories like this, it upsets and angers me that someone so evil was allowed to foster.
How could she do such a thing to that poor little boy who was with her since he was a baby? She should have loved him as if he was her own flesh and blood but she even beat her biological children, so poor Tyler and the others didn’t stand a chance against this foul monster.
I find it really hard to believe the doctors didn’t notice anything was wrong. I have a weight gaining problem I’m 25 and I weigh 95 lbs. My whole life my doctor was convinced i was anorexic and every time i went tried to ask my family all these questions about if i was eating. They even talked to me alone and asked if i was being deprived food. This doctor seem like he was fooled by the foster mother and its sad he even is a doctor. He deserves hell too.
I have to say thank you for putting this up. I lived with this woman for almost 2 years, and let me tell you it WAS hell. And it is where she will go. Tyler was there the whole time I lived there, and I was there when she broke his leg. But I never saw anything wrong. I feel so guilty about it now.
omg! i stayed at carol deleons house as a german exchange student in suncrest in the time 88-89 with her boyfriend chris her own daughter christina und her brother mike at that time she had 5 dogs coors, bud, bear, shalimar and mott about 30 cats 12 dairy goats ducks and so on. i went to deer park high school had to do normal chores i guess feed milk and stuff and to to me she was a nice person . shocking to see that after 20 years
yesterday i was too shocked and still… well can`t say and do not like to say anything if it is not nessesarry. carole is in jail now… please check eyerything not only foster child`s but foreign exchange students too. i think your us gouvernment missed that at her trial. like i said i stayed with her plus boyfriend bioligical daughter and brother in one house 88-89 and went to deer park high school. my name is mike ditges and you can reach me stick72@gmx.de