Lauren Kavanaugh was given up for adoption by her

mother when she was a baby, and was taken in by

Sabrina and Bill Kavanaugh.

Eight months after living with the Kavanaugh family, Barbara Atkinson decided she wanted her child back, and petitioned the court for custody.

“One day mom was so sick of me sobbing that she grabbed my arm and told me, ‘get into the closet.’ I was huddled in there for

hours under a rail of dresses and shirts. I thought it was a punishment. There was no water or food, just darkness.”

“Another time, when I was 6 years old, mom put a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of me. She told me I could chew it but then had

to spit it back put.”

THE PLACE THAT SERVED AS A PRISION:

Little Lauren looked like a Holocaust survivor when she arrived in the emergency room at Children’s Medical Center Dallas the

night of June 11, 2001.

During six key years for growth and development she was deprived of nourishment and stimulation, which resulted in brain atrophy. Lauren

did not know how to sit in a chair, hold a pencil or recite her ABCs. She didn’t recognize the sun or know what grass felt like under her feet.

At 8 years old, she weighed 25.6 pounds, the size of an average 2-year-old, and was damaged in ways doctors had never seen. She also had teeth missing and genital abnormalities, and her

body was trying to shut down.

Barbara Atkinson and Kenny Atkinson, Lauren Kavanaugh’s parents, were ultimately arrested on multiple

felony injury to a child and are serving life. They are not eligible for parole until 2031.

Now, Lauren leads a fairly normal life and is constantly supported by thousands of people around the world through social networks. She

lives in a rural home which shares in Canton with her adoptive mother and three dogs.

Presented by: Monica AlvarinoNicol Fernandez

Alejandro Quiroga

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