A white couple in Iowa was only sentenced to probation after it was revealed the adopted two children from Ghana to purposely starve them and treat them worse than their other children.
Kenny Fry, 42, and his wife Kelly, 40, were found guilty after they neglected a 10-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy that traveled from Ghana to live with the Frys at their home in Osceola, Iowa. The children were rescued after a neighbor saw them locked outside the Fry residence during 15F (-9C) weather in January 2018. At ages eight and nine, the children had told social workers how they were being forced to spend all day in a room prior to their rescue.
‘They were knocking on the door. ‘It sounded like they were crying, “Let me in.” a neighbor told KCCI ‘I can’t say exactly what they were saying, but I could hear crying out. ‘I just thought, “Something is not right” Just knowing it was so cold outside and those poor kids were locked out.’
After being taken into protective services, the children told social workers that if they left their rooms, an alarm would sound, and the Frys would force them to perform squat and push-up exercises as punishment. Doctors discovered the young girl had a distended abdomen consistent with malnutrition, while her brother was undersized for his age, Metro reports.
The small bedroom the two children were made to live contained a small plastic mat, blanket and bucket for them to use as a toilet. They also told social workers how they’d been made to eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Des Moines Register reported.
Meanwhile, the Frys other five children were properly cared for. Kenny and Kelly Fry struck a plea deal after admitting to two counts of child endangerment. They were sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours community service, and a fine of $12,500.
The cruel couple claimed their abuse of the children was due to them misbehaving. However, social workers say the two children behaved very well while in their care following their rescue.
