Warning: This article discusses child abuse, sexual abuse, and rape, which may be distressing for some readers.
Genetic testing confirmed that the Colt family experienced ‘generational’ incest.
In July 2012, the Department of Family and Community Services raided a property in New South Wales, Australia, owned by the Colt family.
Authorities found children living in ‘squalor.’ Genetic tests later showed that many of the children had parents who were related to each other.
Authorities became aware of the family in June 2010 after receiving reports of neglect, children not attending school, and lack of necessary medical care, according to The Guardian.
Though social services requested improvements in the family’s living conditions in June 2012, authorities returned in July. They found two caravans and old tents, and removed 12 children, who were deemed at risk of harm.
Detective Inspector Peter Yeomans told The Daily Telegraph in 2014: “I’ve never seen it before. I’ve never seen something like this before in relation to bringing up children in those conditions.
“[…] Squalor is probably the best word to describe it, how they were living […] “Children shouldn’t be living in those conditions.”
Ranging from five to 15 years old, the New South Wales Court’s ruling indicated that some of the children were ‘developmentally delayed’ and others ‘cognitively impaired,’ with several ‘unable to speak intelligibly.’
Psychological and social examinations, along with genetic testing, revealed ‘generational’ incest within the family.
Many children reported ‘inappropriate sexual conduct’ with each other, with some displaying ‘sexualised behavior.’
The Colt family history traces back to 40 years ago when Timothy and June Colt married in 1966 in New Zealand. They had seven children before moving to Australia.
Reports indicate Timothy, who passed away in 2009, fathered children with one of his daughters and one of his granddaughters.
Three of the children claimed their uncle Charlie was also their father. A 12-year-old child alleged Charlie had sex with her.
Timothy and June’s daughters, Betty, Rhonda, and Martha, who lived on the raided property, mothered 11 of the 12 children removed by authorities.
The twelfth child’s mother is believed to be Raylene, Betty’s daughter.
According to The New Zealand Herald, some family members were ‘proud of their family values.’
The mothers denied that the fathers of their children were related to them. However, genetic testing confirmed that many individuals in the family were ‘related’ or ‘closely related.’
Detective Inspector Yeomans stated: “I’ve never come across something, in relation to allegations of incest, that is generational in these sort of circumstances.”
The case became public when the New South Wales Court published its judgment in September 2013.
The court decided that the children would stay in care until they turned 18, with ‘no realistic possibility of restoration of any of the children.’
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org