Mother accused of whipping sons with cables, starving them and torturing them with food
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother is charged with multiple felonies for whipping her sons with cables and denying them food to the point it left them with physical and mental scars, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Annette Bogany, 53, is charged with injury to a child and causing serious mental injury to a child.
The boys, ages 10 and 14, reportedly ran away from home last July to escape the abuse. Documents state they boarded a METRObus and made their way to the Texas Medical Center. where a Houston police officer found them bruised and even bloody.
According to court documents, the boys were thin from food deprivation, with one of them weighing in at just 50 pounds, and have significant scars showing evidence of long-term abuse.
"We must protect children," Ogg said. "The evidence shows that these boys were physically and mentally tortured by the person they should have been able to trust the most."
The boys told authorities of being beaten for eating, and said that their mother often ate in front of them while they went without food.
The older brother said one of his beatings came after he grabbed a snack without permission. Another beating reportedly left blood dripping from his head onto the floor.
The teen told police he shielded his younger brother by jumping in front of him during whippings.
As they bolted from their home, authorities say the boys took a few belongings in a pillowcase, including a computer cable that had been used on them.
"Child abuse is a huge problem and we take it very seriously," said Assistant District Attorney Lacy Johnson, who is prosecuting the case. "We are following the evidence and will hold these abusers accountable."
Authorities say the boys have been diagnosed with PTSD and both are receiving therapy.
Meanwhile, Bogany is being held on an $80,000 bond.
