NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Questions are pouring in after KSAT reported on a New Braunfels woman who was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the abuse and neglect of her two adopted children.
When the children were removed from Susan Helton’s care in 2018, the 14-year-old girl weighed 40 pounds, and the 13-year-old boy weighed 50 pounds.
The Comal County District Attorney’s Office posted on Facebook pictures of cages made out of baby gates Susan Helton would put the children in when they misbehaved. The 14-year-old girl slept in that cage for a year and a half and was at times confined to the cage for weeks at a time, prosecutors said.
On Tuesday, Courtney Friedman stopped by the New Braunfels home where Susan Helton’s mother, Ellen Helton, answered the door and invited Courtney and photojournalist Adam Higgins inside to talk.
Ellen Helton lived in the house during the years her daughter abused the two children.
In the conversation, Ellen Helton defended her daughter, saying the kids were not starved.
“So you guys don’t think you did anything wrong?” Courtney Friedman asked.
“I don’t think we did. We loved them, we took care of them,” Ellen Helton said.
Between the web story and all the social media posts for this story, viewers left hundreds of comments, which included questions.
See those questions and answers below the video. If you haven’t seen the initial story, you can watch that below.
Viewer Question 1
People mentioned Susan Helton was known to be a foster mom. Why wasn’t a case worker in their house once a month?
The answer is, while Susan Helton did foster kids over the years, the case documents show that the eight children in her home at the time were legally adopted.
CASA of Central Texas advocates for children removed from their homes, and told KSAT once children are legally adopted, those foster care case workers are no longer required to do monthly check-ins.
Staff from CASA of Central Texas directly worked with all eight children once they were removed from Susan Helton’s home, helping them with mental health, education and support during the CPS court case.
Viewer Question 2
The next question many viewers asked had to do with Susan Helton’s mother, Ellen Helton, wondering if she had ever been charged in connection to the case.
KSAT found she was never charged with anything in connection to the case.
It is mentioned twice in the case documents that Ellen Helton lived in the home during the time Susan Helton was abusing and neglecting the two children, even watching them at times while they were in their caged boundaries.
KSAT asked the New Braunfels Police Department if Ellen Helton was ever investigated, but their response only referenced Susan Helton, saying: “Detectives investigating this case determined that there was sufficient evidence to file charges against Susan Helton. The investigation was then turned over to the Comal County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”
KSAT also got ahold of Susan Helton’s trial attorney, Rolando Arguelles, to ask if Ellen Helton was ever investigated.
“No ma’am not at all. At least not to my knowledge. Not in everything I’ve reviewed,” Arguelles said.
Viewer Question 3
Why didn’t anyone report the abuse earlier?
That one cannot be fully answered, as it is not clear who actually had contact with the family during the period of abuse and neglect.
The case documents showed Susan Helton homeschooled the children, and while she told investigators the kids had been seen by a doctor, there is no available record of that happening.
CASA said the bottom line is an important reminder: The law states that every Texan is a mandatory reporter of child abuse, not just teachers or social workers.
If you see something or even suspect child abuse, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400 or call 911.
CASA of Central Texas can be contacted for services at 830-626-2272 or on its website.
More coverage of this story on KSAT.com: