Photograph by FPL
An “incest cult” has been discovered, with four generations of an inbred “family” living in squalid conditions in a scenic valley in New South Wales.
Authorities were originally alerted to children living in the hills and not attending school, but when they found the remote bush settlement they uncovered four generations of inter-related brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles.
The 40-strong group were living out of two dilapidated caravans, two sheds, and tents with no sewage treatment, waste disposal or running water. There were reportedly no toilets, showers, or baths, and the officers found a kangaroo sleeping on one of the children’s beds.
Beyond the state of the encampment, the police found the children to have numerous deformities and health problems resulting from “homozygosity”, or the breeding of two closely related people such as brothers and sisters. One girl, deaf and with stunted speech, was unable to bathe or dry herself, and did not know what a toilet was.
The group, which is mostly made up of descendants of a a single pair of brother and sister, appear to have evaded the authorities for years by living in remote areas and moving from state to state over a matter of decades.
The children are believed to have been sexually active with one another, with details coming from recently released court records. One 13-year-old girl reported sexual contact with her nine-year-old uncle whilst her 8-year-old aunt watched. Two seven and eight year-old girls reported “sexual touching” with their brothers aged 12, 14, and 15. Three boys aged under 14 years old were described as having tied up their 8-year-old sister and 13-year-old niece to a tree naked.
Five of the boys also described numerous situations of how they used to torture and mutilate the genitals of animals, including cats and dogs, at their encampment
The children have now been taken into care and have undergone extensive sessions with psychologists.
Some have also been placed with foster families, with others continuing treatment for their sexualised behaviour and psychological trauma, but still have limited contact with their siblings.
In order to protect the identities of the minors involved, the court documents referred to the group as the “Colt” family.
