Being a young child means that you depend on adults for most things and trust them completely. As children do not really understand what is going on around them, this unfortunately opens up possibilities for exploitation, a problem that children all over the world suffer from every year.
In October 2013, Carlisle Smith traveled to the house where Sharyn and Michael Gravel lived in search of a part-time job with the family. He expected a busy family as the couple were caring for 11 adopted children, but what he found there surprised him.
The moment Carlisle walked into Gravel’s house, he knew something was wrong.
He looked forward to a part-time job with the family, but immediately realized that his “reunion” was a glimpse of something terrifying going on in this house.
Carlisle was told not to go upstairs under any circumstances. Then, when he heard a baby move, he realized that Sharyn had asked said baby to go and lock herself in her cage. Yes: cage.
Immediately after Carlisle left the house, he called the police and alerted them that there was a very serious problem and they needed to intervene.
In 2017, four years after being rescued, two of the eleven children, Simon and Apa, appeared on The Doctor Phil Show.
Both kids went through hell when they were kids. Fortunately, they are now strong enough to talk about it openly and serve as an inspiration to others.
Of course, the Gravels were convicted of child abuse and child endangerment, so they could no longer pose a threat to children.
