Appeals Court Upholds Decision To Cut Off Parental Rights For Commune Memb

[Sequoia]

A state appeals court has upheld a decision to cut off the parental rights of three members of a Marin County commune imprisoned after a toddler starved to death and 14 surviving children were taken into protective care. Authorities said the clan, known as "the Family," kept the children in complete isolation from sunlight and other people, fed them a sparse diet and regularly tied them up and whipped them.

Their circumstances came to light after the deformed body of a 19-month-old boy was brought to a San Rafael hospital by four women in November 2001. Winifred Wright is the group's domineering figure and the children's father. He was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for child endangerment in 2003.

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http://www.kfty.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6F601CCF-42BE-4EB0-BF07-55250D25B6D0