Lauren Kavanaugh, Story: The Girl In The Closet

2023-07-13 08:18:09 Written by Alex

On June 11, 2001, the police came to Kenneth and Barbara Atkinson's house in Hutchins, Texas. They had received a call reporting abuse against eight-year-old Lauren Kavanaugh, who was Barbara's daughter. However, when they entered the home, they were taken aback because Kavanaugh looked so small that the first officer to arrive mistakenly thought she was a toddler.

The little girl was taken to a hospital in Dallas, where doctors found out that she was the same size as an average two-year-old child. Officials started investigating how this could have occurred, and what they discovered was much worse than anyone had expected.

Lauren Kavanaugh had been imprisoned in a closet for six years, and the Atkinson family had only taken her out to sexually abuse and torture her. Due to extreme malnutrition, Lauren Kavanaugh's organs were failing, and her lower body had become red and peeling after enduring months of being forced to squat in her own urine and feces.

Barbara Atkinson

Despite many specialists predicting that Kavanaugh would never live a normal life, she proved them wrong when she graduated from high school in 2013, leaving everyone astonished. Although she continues to grapple with the trauma inflicted by her mother's horrific abuse and has faced legal challenges of her own, Kavanaugh remains determined to move forward from her past as "the girl in the closet."

The Birth And The Adoption Of Lauren Kavanaugh

Lauren Kavanaugh was born on April 12, 1993. However, her mother, Barbara, had already made the decision to put her up for adoption. Sabrina Kavanaugh, the woman who wanted to adopt Lauren, was present in the delivery room. She shared with The Dallas Morning News how thrilled she and her husband were to bring the baby into their family.

“That was the happiest day of our lives,” Sabrina said. “We loved her before she was born, I guess you would say. We had a room for her and her little clothes. It was awesome.”

Sabrina had been introduced to 21-year-old Barbara several months earlier, soon after she’d discovered she was pregnant. They met several times before Lauren's birth to discuss the adoption logistics. Sabrina recalled, "she was determined she wanted to give it up." "She had no idea who the father was."

Sabrina and her husband Bill cared for Lauren as their own child for eight months. Unfortunately, they received a notification one day that Barbara had filed a legal request to gain custody of the child.

In 1995, Judge Lynn E. Markham granted permanent custody of Lauren to the Atkinsons. However, for the following six years, the young girl endured unspeakable abuse.

The Abuse Of “The Girl In The Closet”

Based on the medical report, it was found that Lauren Kavanaugh's growth halted around the age of two, which coincided with when she was returned to her biological mother.

The condition of the carpet inside the closet where Lauren Kavanaugh was kept for years was extremely soaked in urine. In fact, even the police officers investigating the case ended up with soaked shoes due to the extent of the saturation.

In reality, Lauren Kavanaugh was confined in her mother's closet, surviving on meager meals of cold soup, crackers, and tubs of butter that her older sister would occasionally sneak into her. On the rare occasions when she was allowed to leave the closet, she endured even more horrifying torture than the intense loneliness she faced while inside.

From a very young age, both Kenneth and Barbara Atkinson subjected the child, Lauren, to sexual abuse.

When the Atkinsons weren’t raping Lauren themselves, they rented her out to pedophiles.

Lauren Kavanaugh on June 11, 2001, the night she was rescued.

Lauren also endured another form of abuse, where her mother would place a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of her and tell her to chew it but not swallow. While Kenneth and Barbara had five other children who also suffered different forms of abuse, Lauren was the only one consistently deprived of food and confined.

The Rescue

After enduring six years of continuous abuse, Kenneth Atkinson made the decision to disclose information about Lauren. It is uncertain whether this choice stemmed from a sudden change of heart or a vengeful act triggered by discovering Barbara's infidelity. However, in June 2001, Lauren's prolonged period of isolation finally came to an end.

Lauren during her recovery

Lauren faced challenges adapting to her new life. She had difficulty with basic skills like using the toilet, handling utensils like forks and spoons, and she was extremely protective of her food due to the fear of it being taken away. The first time she stepped outside barefoot, she cried because she experienced the sensation of bugs biting her feet, which was entirely new to her since she had never felt grass before.

Since then, Lauren has faced numerous challenges in her life. As reported by CBS News, she has struggled with her mental health and had the horrifying experience of being raped by her cousin's husband when she was just 12 years old. In 2018, she found herself in further trouble when she was imprisoned for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The circumstances surrounding these events have made her journey incredibly difficult.

Due to being deemed unfit to stand trial, Lauren was found to be incompetent and was placed under confinement in a mental health facility.

Meanwhile, Kenneth and Barbara Atkinson have been sentenced to life imprisonment for committing felony injury to a child. They will serve their sentences in prison.