The decades-long controversy surrounding New Bethany Home for Girls in Bienville Parish was renewed last Friday, Dec. 6 when seven former residents of the home returned to Arcadia so that two of the women could file formal charges of sexual assault against the now-defunct home’s owner, Rev. Mack Ford.
(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE):
A seventh arrived on Saturday to file her complaint.
Although only two of the six who flew in from North Carolina, Nevada, Florida and Texas, claimed to been sexually abused while living at the home, the others said they were there to lend moral support to the two, one of whom is said to be terminally ill with an inoperable brain tumor.
Sheriff John Ballance, who had his own experience with the home during his career as a state trooper some 30 years ago, met with the women, took the statements of the two claiming sexual abuse, and promised to do everything possible to resolve the matter.
An earlier statement of one of the alleged victims was turned over to state police in Bossier City in October, Ballance said.
In September, Ballance told LouisianaVoice he had picked up a runaway from the home decades ago when he was a state trooper. Instructed by the sheriff’s department to return her to the facility, he said he refused to force her to go back because of her claims of abuse.
Allegations about beatings, handcuffing and other forms of punishment of girls at the home first came to light when the Baton Rouge Advocate began an investigation of the home in 1974. Editors, however, quickly killed the investigation before any stories could be written and the issue lay dormant until the late 1980s when the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources began looking into abuse allegations. In 1988, the state raided the unlicensed home located south of Arcadia on LA. 9 and removed 29 girls from the facility.
Simultaneous to that raid, the Bethel Home for Wayward Children in Lucedale, Mississippi, was closed down by officials in that state. Six months after the New Bethany raid, however, it remained open and was not closed down until 1992.
There were claims of girls at New Bethany having to clean toilets with their bare hands, being locked in isolation with only a bucket for a toilet, girls being handcuffed to their beds and being made to stand all day with no restroom breaks, beatings with wooden dowels, PVC pipe, paddles, belts and limbs.
A state game warden, interviewed by the Advocate in 1974, said he would take confiscated deer that had been killed illegally by hunters to the home. “On one occasion,” he said, “Ford asked if he could have my handcuffs.”
New Bethany Baptist Church (foreground); girls’ windowless dormitory (background).
The public face of New Bethany, however, was quite different. Girls’ quartets would be clad in long dresses and paraded before church congregations to sing, figuratively and literally, the praises of New Bethany in efforts to generate “love offerings” from church members.
A father who pulled his daughter out of the home said, “He (Ford) would have those little girls sing hymns and give testimony to churches and the church members would hit the floor with their knees while reaching for their wallets” to give Ford money for his home.
The claims of physical abuse and rape are not new to the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Church with which New Bethany and Ford are affiliated.
The First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, received a great deal of notoriety over the sexual trysts two of its ministers had with female church members over a period of several years. Their misconduct was subsequently repeated at other churches where they ministered.
And when their behavior was revealed, it was the women victims who were required to stand before the congregation and apologize and ask forgiveness for tempting the men, who invariably went unpunished and indeed, continued to receive near idol status from the congregation.
Likewise, group homes where abuse has been documented tend to receive devout support from area churches. Instead of asking those who run the homes to explain their behavior, their accusers are routinely treated as pariahs while the accused are welcomed as heroes at church rallies on their behalf.
Adherents to IFB dogma, for example, discourage intermarriage or even any contact with those of other religious beliefs, distrust government, favor home schooling, and believe that spankings should commence as early as 15 months of age.
Tampa Bay Times reporter Alexandra Zayas last year was allowed to do what the Advocate refused to do. She wrote a lengthy investigative series on claims of physical abuse at several group homes in Florida. http://www.tampabay.com/faccca/
Just as she found in Florida and as had been found earlier in Texas, Louisiana homes are unlicensed and unregulated by the state, thus allowing the operators free rein in the areas of discipline and education—so long as it is done in the name of religion.
The group homes employ the same textbooks that rely heavily on the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) and BJU (Bob Jones University) Press curricula—the same resources used by many of Louisiana’s voucher and charter schools being approved by the Louisiana Department of Education. The textbooks eschew traditional science and history courses, choosing instead to apply Old Testament interpretations in their teachings.
Encaged walkway over public road discourages thoughts of escape while walking from one area of New Bethany to another.
Following their meeting with Sheriff Ballance, the women drove to New Bethany and attempted to confront Ford, who instead, refused to talk to them and walked away.
Sign displaying times of services remains outside church 21 years after New Bethany’s closure.
Clear message that visitors are no longer welcome at New Bethany Home for Girls or at New Bethany Baptist Church.
And just in case one misses the sign…
I am very proud of you ladies and thankful for this writer. I have had the honor to interact with a few of these women and want to assure the others, and there are many, that your family at #OpFaithBasedFear love you! More fun for Mack Ford was in the works while you were traveling….expect US Mr. Ford and constituents
I am 47 and and was at new Bethany in 1981 o1983. It was pure hell. I was Laura Blake at the time. I sent many letters to sate officials and even help the DSS and SLED in the closing of Walterboro, SC boys home around 1985. It is a crying shame our government allows this to remain.
Laura Blake-Hall,
A copy of an Affidavit you sent to Sheriff McCarthy is online http://victimizednomore.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/arc-041.pdf
https://victimizednomore.wordpress.com/affidavits-by-abuse/ – Several Affidavits available (we are constantly adding to the blog, documents we have obtained over the years).
I began calling DSS in Arcadia and in Shreveport in the early 80’s, early 90’s, and the LA Attorney General’s office contacted me in 1998. Except in 1998, I was always informed that NB was closed. In reality, authorities do not seem to know when NB housed children; frequently, assuming NB did not house children.
Laura Hall,
I haven’t been able to reach you at the # I had previously. I’ve been wanting to let you know what’s been going on. Tom, the author of this blog can put you in touch with me. I touched base with Angie not long ago. Let me know how you’re doing. I’m hoping we can get up with each other so we can talk.
Thank you, Laura. I was one of the boys you helped get out of that hell in Walterboro.
laura are you on FB, or could you text me, Im Dawn 9034611134
I am Lisa Blanchard, and I have an affidavit posted in Religion’s Cell. My issue with this is one of confusion. How is it that national media attention is focused upon the cult leader Warren Jeffs (Mormon compound) while practical silence is given to New Bethany. Mind manipulation through physical and spiritual abuse carry lifelong consequences. It would seem that someone would pay attention to this story. If for no other reason, consider the fraud that is behind this. I was part of the money making machine that supported Mac and his family in high style. I sang in the quartet and gave testimony all over the country while believing that I would be doing the right thing to murder welfare workers for M. Ford.
It is logical to assume that no attention is given to this story because the girls involved were gangsters in prison. I accept that logic, but using God to manipulate minds for money is a crime in everyone’s eyes. Indeed, the church people who emptied their pockets for New Bethany would be horrified to know that their money turned more ladies away from God than toward Him. Oddly, hate and abuse do not match with God and Christ.
Lisa
I hear ya Lisa. It boggles my mind to think about how many turned away from God because of people like the Fords, Rapiers, Kings etc…. I was one of them.
I guess for those who did not experience it, it is kind of hard to wrap their brains around the fact that anyone could do so much harm while claiming to be doing God’s work.
It takes an incident like Waco and David Koresh or a Jim Jones and Guyana to catch a nation’s attention. And those are so few, far, and in between that it allows others like the Fords to stay under the radar for decades. Some are never found out. At least not in their lifetime. And Mack Ford appears to be one who will make it all the way to the grave without ever answering for his crimes against children.
Lisa So Happy 2 See U Post. My last days at New Bethany I grabbed you for a big picture. I hope you can find me so I can share it with you. So Happy 2 C U Post.
Amen To That… God is not a malicious God … God is A merciful god And Loves Everyone … I Wonder How Many Of You Remembers How Mc Ford Would Jump Of The Pew Screaming How We All Going To Hell And I wonder why the police did not do there home work?.. Borney on the Andy Griffith Could have done a better job solving the Doe Murder….
Kevin M. Allan.. Why Nora Carter The Lady That Was Head Of House Ever Charged With The carol Doe Murder ? Why Everyone OverLooked This Lady There should be no statue of limitation Of Murder ….Why Did She Get Away Of Beating Us To death …Leaveing Scars For The Rest Of Our Lives man This Nora Carter Must Be Made Out Of Gold…Why Is She Walking Freely Amoung Us Today Why Was Mack Ford Not Charged … There Was No evidence Of Any Girls At New Bethany You Guys Knew Dam Well All The evidence Went To File 13 …
Actually this school reopened after 1992. I was there in 1996 and was sent home days before the end of June/ beginning of July raid. I’ve heard that the school even opened again after that. I do know for sure it was open in 1996.
Hey I was there with you. I remember you…I hated the way you got treated and I want you to know I stood up for you and got put on total isolation for it…
hey my name is Richard Harris. I don’t know you and I didn’t even know this place stands today. My immediate question is why hasn’t someone just burned the place with him in it? I’d be glad to assist in any plans or hell, just give me a ride and some matches. I’ll take care of it for y’all. I’m not a nut but it just seems like somebody would have dealt with this monster by now. Obviously, the sherrif is up his ass but I don’t care. If you ever want to do some justice, hit me up ok? I have a 8-year-old daughter and I don’t want him to be in her world.
[…] Aswell, in a post titled, Seven former residents of New Bethany Home for Girls make emotional return to Arcadia to file charge…, had this to say to Mack Ford and the New Bethany Home for […]
It’s time for predators and those that protect them to be held accountable for their crimes. Thank you ladies for having the courage to report! Great Article!
Stay Strong! I know what you have endured. I Lived it 1981 to 1983. I try to forget it. It will always be there. It is a shame that people can abuse an hide behind religion. Hell will be extra hot for them. I promise you!
Thank you, Tom Aswell, for writing this. I was one of those girls who ate the deer meat brought by the game warden in 1974. Thankfully, it wasn’t I who was handcuffed with the cuffs Mac Ford managed to obtain. There were girls who were handcuffed to their beds if they had run away. They had a “trusted girl” with the key, who came at specific times for bathroom breaks. Other than that, they stayed handcuffed to the bed, even taking their meals in isolation like that.
Thank you for a very comprehensive article.
Hi kittybrat. I was also there in 1974. My name was Tammy Wright. I learned real quick to mind my p’s and q’s if I ever wanted to get out of there. Do you remember when they would lock runaways up in the little pump-house? I was never sexually assaulted or hand-cuffed to a bed, though I know of others who were. I was beaten by Mack Ford to within an inch of my life for “plotting” to runaway. Those were desperate and dry times. I can now see how they have affected me the rest of my life. I feel deep depression just thinking about it.
Tammy, I do remember these things. I am sorry you were beaten so badly. I truly am. It was a scary, horrible place. Click on my icon and send me a message so we can connect, if you would.
Tammy and Cat,
A lady from ’75-’76 made contact. As I believed, there were sexual abuse victims prior to 1976. We knew there were other victims, yet no one had come forward from the early to mid 70s, until now.
You were one of the “trusted girls”, a sex trafficker on the inside. In the mid-80’s, you had Mack’s baby, smuggled it out, and outfitted that baby with a fraudulent birth certificate and a misappropriated, info-edited SSN. Claimed they were your biological child, did a ton of government fraud and benefits fraud to line your pockets while depriving them of basic needs, and sex trafficking them. That child was me. You and your daughter Rachael Martinez stole my cell phone May 19, 2021, impersonated me, and lured my spouse into a trap, kidnapped them June 4, 2021, deprived them of their teeth, surgically removed their defenses, and began to hold them captive to continuous sex trafficking in July 2021, where they remain–as you lean on the local city and county governments just like you do in Bienville Parrish and Arcadia. You and your business partner Sandra Juarez (de la Cruz) have been covering up for Mack Ford for years, you use the name Tammie Rogers for this task and others.
You wrote this comment to cultivate the trust of Mack Ford survivors, and used it to threaten them and begin sex trafficking them again.
So proud of these women for speaking out against the abuse that was done to them so long ago. The truth about this facility and so many others like it needs to be told. We need to protect our children and not blame them for adult behavior. Thank you ladies for having the courage to speak up against this awful place. I hope this will give others courage to do the same. I hope justice comes and the paperwork is not just filed away somewhere. We are watching.
Thank you for reporting this. The courage of these girls is to be commended. Yes, we are watching. Please keep us posted.
Reblogged this on #BattleOfOurTimes.Com.
Please don’t leave this story behind. It’s very important that you follow up to make sure the Sheriff keeps his word. I’m highly skeptical that he will do anything now when he didn’t do anything thirty years ago. Let’s face it, if you have power and influence in Louisiana and you want to rape a bunch of little girls, the authorities will PROTECT you, not prosecute you. There is no justice here, until Mack Ford and all the other serial rapists at that place are safely behind bars.
To be fair, it must be pointed out that it was a different sheriff than 30 years ago (although the sheriff at the time all this first erupted did hit Ford and paid a $500 fine for the offense. The sheriff later said it was worth every penny.)
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There was the physical abuse at the Boys Home there in Arcadia, as well as the Boys’ Home when it was in Longstreet, LA in Desoto Parish. And the documented criminal case when it was in Walterboro S.C. that three pleaded No Contest to.
And there was sexual abuse at the Boy’s home in Longstreet as well by two people against two people that I know of, I suspect there were more. I did not see it personally but I have talked with both victims who were there the same time I was. I didn’t need to see it, the physical and mental was enough to change me forever.
Neither victim will come forward and I will not push the issue with them. I have to respect that and support them even though I wish they would do differently. One of their abusers I’m sure is long gone and buried. The other wasn’t much older than us and is still around.
To the girls that went this past week, sorry I could not make it. Finances and family issues are wreaking havoc around here and there’s no relief in sight.
For Angela, Mechille, and Guy. May you rest in peace knowing that we are doing all we can to avenge the hell you lived here on earth because of these people.
If you knew the whole story it still wouldn’t matter. I know first hand I was there New Bethany Boys Home Walterboro, Sc. Sorry that things happen at the girls home in Louisiana, the boys home in SC different story, it was not abuse when you kept someone from hurting other kids, there was no cell as I have heard in that home period. I was there for a year. There where 2 boys one from Florida and Texas that cause thing to get bad, running away for no reason these two where good then one day like something in them snaped stealing cop cars, knives from the work shop.
Thanks Tom. I am so glad to see this being made public.
wow
Remember me? Laura Blake? 1981-1983
Wow Laura Blake. Awesome to find you. Maybe you can find me on FB.
Please keep us updated and do not let this be swept under the carpet. These atrocities continue to this day under the guise of other churches as you have mentioned above. I feel for these individuals, the abuse suffered and the politics involved is unlawful, unacceptable. The scars these former innocents carry go forth into society and into further generations. It is a cycle that never stops. It always starts with “church” people in the name of the Lord. How despicable that these “elders” of the church roam freely, preying upon innocent girls, raping, abusing, for their own self gratification. I pray justice prevails. Lock them up and let them be the victims in jail. Sheriff, I pray you do these courageous women their bidding. Think of your own daughters, sisters, wife and the life they would have endured had they run away and been captured by these evil men. You have been chosen to represent. Mr DA step up.
Thanks Tom, keep us posted. These women need their day in court, and justice needs to be served…
It is so gratifying to see these young women advocating for full accountability and bringing the revealing and healing light of truth to a sordid institution. Sadly, the Fundamentalist mentality prevails in many places, and the flawed understanding they have of pastoral authority will only create many more victims over time. The answer is for all the victims to have the courage to speak out. You are not alone!
—Jerry D. Kaifetz, Ph.D., (author of Profaned Pulpit—The Jack Schaap Story)
This is what’s called getting serious and removing the obstacles that keep victims from reporting.
I have never been kicked out of the “Sheriff’s Building!” —
Folks in Arcadia, the Bienville Parish courthouse does not belong to the taxpayers who paid to build it, the public, or victims of rape but rather belongs to Sheriff Ballance; cause, he said so! You need to remember this at voting time!
What Ballance did not know, or care, I have Complex PTSD and when he crouched, as if he was coming after me, I “left” and had no clue what was going on. Reporters have him on video. As Ballance ordered, Tom, who had not said a word, walked out and thankfully, Teresa had me by the arm and led me out. It was freezing cold outside and Ballance did not care one bit that I drove the reporting victim from Houston to Arcadia! Ballance knew I was a rape victim and previously reported to the BPSO. We did not tell him we were coming but that was not my decision. I was the one adamant about calling him but I followed the group’s choice… Foolish man!
Ballance was angry from the moment he saw me and he was angry because of what I wrote in a previous blog comment! I told him this is the age of the internet and if someone tells a lie, he can file a cease and desist order! I also told him he needed to find his big girl britches and that was not nice but he was not professional. What is wrong with those men? Lt. Poland was as gracious as always.
Do they think we should be singing their praises?
Not until they do something right will they receive accolades for doing their job.
.. based on conversations with people at a barbecue restaurant in Arcadia, the Arcadians stand with us, the Survivors of New Bethany Boys and Girls Homes!
Please do not let go of us and please do not forget about us. We never forgot and people need to know that raping, molesting, and trafficking children in the USA results in imprisonment!
Mack Ford’s pedophile staffs live amongst us; they walk free, with unfettered access to your children and grandchildren –mine are grown!
Reblogged this on Victimized No More! and commented:
The decades-long controversy surrounding New Bethany Home for Girls in Bienville Parish was renewed last Friday, Dec. 6 when seven former residents of the home returned to Arcadia so that two of the women could file formal charges of sexual assault against the now-defunct home’s owner, Rev. Mack Ford.
I did it. If I can do it, so can all of you. Please speak out and let them know what happened and who these people are don’t let them keep you from telling these monsters need to face the truth and pay for everything that they have done and for the ones that did nothing to stop it. We were just children and what they did is just sickening.
I was there in 88..good for you ladies!! Keep up the good work!
I was there in 1988 also, Kari Knapp. Do u remember a girl named Rhenda from o.c?
I can’t say enough that it’s all about removing the obstacles. An adult victim of childhood sexual abuse can have innumerable reasons NOT to report, even if they are dead serious about wanting to. There is no lack of those who want to “help” a victim by consistently telling them that they don’t have to report until they’re ready, that it’s understood how they will ostracize themselves from their families, that it’s likely they won’t be believed if they report, and all these other wonderful ideas to totally disenfranchise a victim seeking justice for themselves and others. More people are needed who are willing to help a victim remove these obstacles; get them out of the way or stomp then into the dust….even if that obstacle is an elected official; rather than to continually provide and support the reasons for not reporting.
Actively working to remove the reasons a victim has for not going to the authorities, as opposed to the merry-go round of “increasing public awareness”
is what will make a difference here. The tired attempts at publicly shaming abusers into halting their abuse should end. We know that’s not working. We’ve seen how an abuse victim going public with their story, but lacking an official report for validity, provides the opportunity for the abuser to claim persecution and rally support that SHOULD belong to the victim. In other words, manifesting a situation meant to help a victim that in fact, actually helps the abuser gain more support, is denying a victim of the support they need.
Until enough people realize that we’re providing the opportunity for abusers to gain support for being “persecuted”, and take steps to effectively remove and replace the current way we ASSIST victims, we might as well just be satisfied with running the wheel round and round like a hamster.
NOT!
They Need To Look At Bethesda Home For girls In Hattiesburg, Ms., Too!! That Place Was UNBELIEVABLE!!! 😦
It was reopened again after the 96 raid. I was there in ’98 and I believe it operated until at least 2000
I was there in 96 when its was raided I was put there in 94 that place was the worst I still have night mares to this day
Until law enforcement actually investigates and talks to all the staff members who molested boys and girls, I doubt justice will ever be served. The staff continue to walk freely, preaching in churches, teaching in Sunday School, working in a girls’ home, and sex offenders consistently offend and pedophiles seek children to offend. Mack Ford is only one of the predators. All they have to do is talk to these fools and they will sing like a song-birdy.
[…] Seven former residents of New Bethany Home for Girls make emotional return to file charges of sexual… […]
“In September, Ballance told LouisianaVoice he had picked up a runaway from the home decades ago when he was a state trooper. Instructed by the sheriff’s department to return her to the facility, he said he refused to force her to go back because of her claims of abuse.”
I was the one that rode in that Sheriff’s car. I had no idea, until this very moment, that the initial plan was to take me back! Thank God I wasn’t returned!
Donya, What did you do after Trooper Ballance left you? I’ve wondered if you survived; I’m glad to know you made it. 🙂
This is very horrific!!!!
I would love to see some of you ladies and men along with big strong male relatives/friends somehow get a hold of Mack and Thelma in the night and put them thru what they dished out. Take a couple of days and release them naked into the night a few miles from their home. Make sure they are good and bruised and welted up.
I know this is morally and legally wrong and certainly not ” Christian like” but I fantasize that this would happen to them.
They will probably be dead along with all their cohorts before they are ever held accountable for their monstrous actions.
Something has to be done to stop this. Surely there must some lawyers and media that would take this on in a more aggressive way!
I prey that you will all find healing and peace.
Dan
I hope and pray that something is done about NB and Mack Ford, the abuse that we endured is indescribable,our lives where forever change. I was there 81-82, I was one of the girls that ran away just to be returned by the sheriff, I begged,pleaded and screamed please don’t take me back,It didn’t do any good, I was returned to a beating you couldn’t imagine,then locked in a room for three months. Whew what a nightmare!!!! I just hope Mack Ford pays for what he’s done to us, if not in this life time,thereafter.
Thanks for reading.
I am a survivor of New Bethany from 84-85 my sister spent most of her life in New Bethany and barely survived it mentally. She was one that was removed and taken to foster care…..she never made it all the way. Rhonda Robinson was her name and they broke her over and over again. I was one of the “little girls only 10 at the time and we didn’t live in the big dorms with the terrible big girls…. we lived in a little cottage to the left of the dorms and church. My name is Tani Robinson. I still have nightmares of the things done in New Bethany and Im supposing they took it easy on me because I was smaller and an innocent easily influenced by the devil. Courage to all of you for standing up to the monsters that live behind the name of Christ and inside of those rusty gates in the woods. Rhonda never was the same and has continued to struggle her entire life as a result of the physical, mental and emotional trials she faced for nearly ten years in that place. Shut it down…..permanently this many people cant be across this country, all having done their time and have this many similar stories just to hurt these god fearing people who are trying to help these troubled kids. Its a sham and whether the state supports them or not, they need to be at the very LEAst regulated and checked upon…..they need to be stopped.
Before the “little girls” lived in that cottage, that was the “boys home”, run by “Mama (Era?) Raines”. I’ve wondered for years what happened to her. Her presence was the single pleasant memory I have from that place. ’79-82 (I think) at NB, moved to Walterboro when that new facility opened. I was there until the police finally came & shut Walterboro down.
I remember Mama Raines. She was old and very kind. She passed away at the home.
Tani, please contact me. You and Mindy Dye were my closest friends at that Hell. I have tried to find you over the years. Thenandnow1945@gmail.com or on Facebook under Rebecca Skeel. My last name was Paul when I was at that place
Hi Tani – I was also there between 84 – 85. I was one of the terrible big girls that was in the dorms. The nightmares never end for me. It ruined my whole life. Your name sounds very familiar. I was Jill Shryock then.
[…] Seven former residents of New Bethany Home for Girls make emotional return to Arcadia to file charge… […]
wow…. for years i thought i was one messed up person!!!! my mom and the courts put me in this place!!!! i had to graduate or stay there.. well i graduated…but now.. i can not get my transripcts for my to go to college!!!! to this day i can remember all the yelling and stuff that was menatlly drilled in my head.. i know have ptsd due to this place!!!!! i cant handle anyone raising their voice.. i went there when i was 14 didnt leave there till i was 17!!! living hell !!!!! and i honstely feel like this place had alot to do with alot of my problems today!!!!
Melinda,
When I graduated New Bethany in 1977, I went to TN Temple in Chattanooga. Reporting my transcripts to TN Temple gave the only record of my graduation, Several years ago TN Temple located the paper record of transferred transcripts, and I finished college (for now) with an Associates in Criminology and a Bachelor of Science. When did you leave NB? After leaving NB, did you attend a Community College or have your transcripts submitted to an educational institution? If you need help, hope you will holler.
were you Tina while you were there
I am so proud of you ladies for your bravery! I was in the MS Baptist Children’s Home in Laurel from 75-80. Horrible things were done to all of us but we never mustered the strength for a class action suit. Only one man went to prison, but many good kids were damaged and we all still deal with the horrific memories from all those years ago. We weren’t so much a facility for “troubled youths” as a dumping ground for parents that had “problems”. Booze and pills were the top two problems. Anyway, my heart goes out to all of you knowing the hell you went through. Keep fighting the good fight.
Folks need to understand the multitude of adults who were incarcerated as children in these places, and that what happened is NOT an isolated incident worth ignoring….that it is happening NOW. One way to make law enforcement and the judicial system understand that THIS SORT OF TREATMENT toward victims of childhood sexual abuse within an institutional setting is NOT ACCEPTABLE, is to TELL THEM IT’S NOT ACCEPTABLE. If you’re looking for a place for your voice to be heard, NOLA has a platform for you right now! Name the program you came from and what state it’s in if you want to. Tell what happened to you if you’re comfortable enough to do it. It needs to be realized by the masses just how BIG we all are and how loud we can all be. Here is the opportunity to show them if you feel like it.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2015/01/in_new_bethany_sex_abuse_case_incoming_da_says_he_will_review_grand_jury_proceedings.html#incart_related_stories
I was there as well. Rhona Murphy. Gosh seeing all these posts bring back lots of painful memories, hell we were all just kids. We trusted these adults… And wow the dysfunction. MISS Nora was the house mom, and I can say I never was subjected to physical abuse but the mental abuse and being made to feel I was evil was much worse to me.
I was put on isolation because of a friendship I had. They asked me if i was gay? Ha can you believe that? I learned real quick if I wanted to leave I had better pretend and do it well. So I became part of the choir because I knew u got more privileges. We traveled to different churches and gave our sad little testimony…. Blah, blah. Miss shannon was the Head Chior leader. I loved her – she was so sweet, but I could tell Bro. Mack had an unnatural affection for her… I could go on and on and would love to touch base with anyone who remembers me… I am terrible with last names.. But I was there with Dominique, Darla, Miquelle Hutchinson…Stephanie Haddock… Youu can email me @ rhonamurphy65@gmail.com or find me on fb rhona Murphy..
So glad to be able to talk about this, because unless u were there u wld not believe it…. For a long time I thought I dreamed it.
I became interested in this story by pure accident, but I know that God makes no mistakes and for what this Mack Ford did to you all, You have survivied to tell it all.Please speak up. I am not a victim of this form of abuse in a girl’s home, but I have suffered molestation no the less and battled with it for years. It took me 25 years to speak up. All that are invovled, please be courageous enough to speak out and tell the world your story! I can honestly say that God reigns on the just as well as the unjust and all of these sick individuals like Mack Ford wil GET WHAT IS DUE TO THEM!! Nothing goes unseen in God’s eyesight! I’m praying for your Mentall, physical, and spiritual healing. Continue to love one another as God did not or has foresaken you. Even during the storm of the evil people trying to destroy us, we yet live. So scream to the mountains of your pain as it is apart of your healing!!! For those who are no longer here, rest in paradise as you have to suffer no more! Be blessed everyone!
Someone is missing a daughter..sibling..Granddaughter?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_County_Jane_Doe
Some speculated in Huntsvile, Texas-where this girl was murdered,was she may be a runaway from New Bethany School for Girls/Boys in Arcadia.
This particular cold case is from Texas-and has torn at my heartstrings for a
long time. Guess because of the girls age and brutality of the crime. Thought i’d post it-one never knows, someone, somewhere may have information on this poor murdered girl!
1980 – Huntsville, Texas
“Walker County Jane Doe”
On November 1, 1980, a truck driver found this girl about 16 years old, lying face down and nude near the Sam Houston National Forest in Walker County Texas, about a half mile south of the FM 1696 exit near Huntsville.
She had been savagely beaten and sexually assaulted before dying by slow strangulation. Her face and body were covered with bruises from the beating and there was a human bite mark on her back near her right shoulder. The autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted with a blunt instrument.
When the murder was reported in the local media, several people came forward and said they’d seen a teenager matching her description the day before her body was found. One witness, the manager of a gas station, positively identified the victim as a girl who had been at the station around 6:30 p.m. Halloween night asking for directions to the Ellis prison unit. She was wearing blue jeans, a yellow pullover sweater with big pockets that hung below her waist, and carrying high-heeled sandals in her hand. She looked disheveled like she had been traveling and perhaps sleeping in her clothes. She left the station, walking north on Sam Houston avenue.
A waitress working at the Hitchin Post truck stop on Interstate 45 said the girl came into the restaurant the same evening and again, asked for directions to the Ellis Unit, saying she had a friend there. The waitress asked the girl how old she was and the girl responded 19. The waitress thought that was an obvious lie and then asked the girl if her parents knew where she was. The young girl replied, “Who cares?”. The waitress asked her where she was from. The girl replied Aransas Pass/Rockport, Texas area (near Corpus Christi).
Authorities interviewed every inmate at the Ellis Prison Unit, and none of them admitted to having known the girl.
Extensive inquiries in the Aransas Pass/Rockport area have been unsuccessful, and she does not appear in any of the high school yearbooks from the Aransas Pass/Rockport area for that era.
Authorities don’t believe that she had been living on the streets for very long, as she appeared to be well-nourished and her teeth were well-cared for.
She was between 14 and 18 years old, stood 5 ft. 4inches-5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighed about 105 lbs. She had long wavy light brown hair, cut with wingtips, and brown or hazel eyes, pierced ears, and around her neck, smoky blue clear glass rectangular stone on a gold chain. No tattoos, no no purse,id of any kind found.
She had a vertical scar about 1½ inches long above her right eye that transected her right eyebrow.
34 years later, “Walker County Jane Doe” remains UNIDENTIFIED.
What I never understood is why no parents ever came forward and said, My daughter is missing.’ The most important thing to me is to find out who she was and why she was where she was. It was one of those that really stuck in my heart.
When news got to Aransas Pass that this girl could be from this area, community members came together to figure out who she was.
Alumni came together to do everything from emailing this picture out to everyone they knew as well as go though old yearbooks and try to see if they could match a face to this photo of the victim after her death.
The alumni association was contacted by the man who put together a sketch of the victim. He tell us he’s very passionate about finding out who this Jane Doe is. “You know these families go an entire lifetime without any kind of resolution of what happened to their loved ones. For some reason that kinda touched a nerve with me and I’ve been quite involved,” says sketch artist Carl Koppelman., who did latest recon drawing of the girl.
If my daughter was missing I would want her to, you know, to be recognized for who she was and brought back home to her family.
After several months of searching the association and authorities have were unsuccessful finding anyone who may remember the girl. Was she from a foster home? Home for troubled kids? A runaway? it was even considered she was a runaway from New Bethany School for Girls..
In 1999, her body was exhumed and DNA and fingerprints taken.
Autopsy photos available.
If someone who was at New Bethany recognizes her-as someone they knew in mid 70’s to 1980…please let Walker County Sheriff, TX know! This girl deserves to be identified.!
I did my time at NB in 84-85. My name was and is Cindy Welch. Before I became a trip girl was the worst. Then I learned to fake it till you make it. Does anyone remember the Roebucks?
I remember you. You were quite popular there. I eventually learned to fake it till you make it. Then I helped someone escape, and got put on pot scrubbing punishment until my hands bled while the Bible was read to me.
My name is Cindy Welch I was at NB in 84-85. Before I learned to fake it till you make it the abuse was just physical, after I became a trip girl it got sexual.
I was there at New Bethany boys home before Larry Ranier took over and was there when he and his family took over. I was there from 1980 – 1081. I have alpt of BAD memories. You wouldn’t be able to fathom
I had a home pass when Larry Lanier took over and I reported the abuse to my aunt and uncle they faced Larry Lanier when we went back he had my stuff packed and when my aunt and uncle took me back to Fort Polk Louisiana they reported it to the police and that got the ball rolling of course I have went back to North Carolina to graduate but the memories are there and they don’t go away we left there and my aunt and uncle report it to the police in 1981 and that’s when the ball started rolling
Hi its Kristen (Krissy) Ledezma, I was Krissy Anderson in the 83-85 era. I remember You Tani and your sister Rhonda. Jill you were from Main and Cindy you were from Houston and Kim Holt I remember you to and almost every one. Gina Carifo was my good friend, but I really loved all the girls, and didn’t even want to leave but my mom was always crying for me to come home after my year ended. I was oblivious to all these terrible things but totally believe you all. I am 49 and know because of the years that I’ve lived that horrible things happen in secret and Ms. Halter was very brave to speak out. Of course I hated the fatherly image I had of Ford go down the toilet forever, but the truth is the truth. I have run into Rhonda Donian here in Houston. She stays in touch with Dawn Andrusillo in FL. Stephanie Brooking was also someone she stayed in contact with and has passed away quite some time ago.
I was in Rebekah home for girls Mrs Camron beat me all the time once so bad they locked me up for three months for my wounds to heal
My name is Leslie Byers. I was at New Bethany in 1985 until having to leave in the middle of the night because my father was dying. I was there for almost 8 months. When I got home my mom had my hair cut and thankfully I wasn’t allowed to return. From the day I left all I’ve wanted was to forget that place existed. I’m just beginning this online research.
The girls came and visited our Church in South Carolina. Several of us from the Church visited the Girl’s Home sometime in the 80’s. Thersa Trahan moved to South Carolina to work with our Church school. Does anyone know what happened to her? I also remember a girl named Nicole. One of our Church members Danny Quinn also moved to the Girls Home to work. I remember my time there being very strange and not allowed to see the entire complex. we helped build a water tower back then also. email woodsong310@charter.net