How Could You? Hall of Shame-Luis Torres-Serrano and Rosemary McClearen

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Elkins, West Virginia, guardian Luis Torres-Serrano “is facing a number of charges after police said he sexually abused and assaulted children who were in the care of him and his wife, dating as far back as 2014.

The Elkins Police Department began an investigation into Luis Torres-Serrano, 38, of Elkins, after a 10-year-old girl walked into a store, claiming to be homeless and asking for food, according to court documents.

Police soon learned that Child Protective Services was already investigating Torres-Serrano and his wife, his criminal complaint said.

During the investigations, two girls separately detailed multiple instances of sexual abuse and assault and said that Torres-Serrano told them he would “kill” them if they told anyone about the abuse, the complaint said.

Luis Torres-Serrano

The girls were so afraid of Torres-Serrano that they would go to the bathroom in their bedrooms instead of walking past his bedroom to get to the bathroom, according to details in the court paperwork.

The girls and other children in the home described the parents using fishing poles, golf clubs and other blunt objects, along with their hands and feet, to abuse them, the complaint alleges.

In the documents, children also described being beaten with a metal flute and a cane and being made to kneel with their heads on the floor for periods of time.

The parents told the children they “hated them” and called them “a——- and b——,” the criminal complaint detailed.

It went on to say that some of the children were made to stand outside in cold weather, to put their feet under heaters and to stay in dark closets. They also described Torres-Serrano stomping on their hands with boots.

Food was often withheld from the children, sometimes for days, they said, and police found a padlock on the home’s pantry, the complaint states.

In the criminal complaint, the children described Torres-Serrano’s wife as being jealous of the young girls and made them wear over-sized, male clothing and cut their hair very short, to make them less appealing for her husband.

Torres-Serrano is charged with first and third-degree sexual abuse; second and third-degree sexual assault; sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child; and child abuse resulting in injury.

He is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail, with cash-only bail set at $210,000.

There is no immediate word on if his wife faces or will face charges.

All of the children have been removed from the home, officials said.”

Elkins man faces a host of child sex, abuse charges

[WBOY 5/13/21]

“Following the arrest of an Elkins man earlier this week on charges that he sexually abused and assaulted children in his care, his wife is now also facing charges.

Rosemary McClearen

The arrest of Rosemary McClearen, 37, of Elkins, also stems from a February incident when the Elkins Police Department was called to a store for a report of a young girl asking customers to buy her food.

At the store, an officer found a 10-year-old girl dressed in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, but not dressed warmly enough for the single-digit temperatures that day, according to court documents. The girl also had a short hair cut, like a boy would have, the officer said.

The girl told the officer that she had been walking around since the night before and had become so hungry that she “fought” a dog for its food and had been bitten in the process, McClearen’s criminal complaint described. The officer noticed abrasions and marks on the child’s arms that appeared to be older than the timeframe the girl described, he said.

During an ensuing investigation, officers learned there were multiple allegations of sexual abuse and assault, and child neglect and abuse, from several children against McClearen and Luis Torres-Serrano, the complaint said.

Police then executed a search warrant on the couple’s First Street home and found that the pantry and other rooms were padlocked. Officers also searched the attic “bedroom” of several of the girls and found that the floor was covered in tar paper, and the ceiling was open to the roof, with no insulation. The search also led to DNA evidence of the sexual abuse and assaults, all according to court documents.

The children also told police that Torres-Serrano would discipline the younger children, after accidents, causing them to scream loudly, which McClearen ignored, they said.

Police were also told that McClearen would cut the girls’ hair short and dress them in oversized male clothing, in an attempt to make them less desirable to Torres-Serrano, documents said.

McClearen is charged with child neglect resulting in injury and child neglect creating risk of injury. She is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail, with bail set at $50,000, along with Torres-Serrano, whose bail is set at $210,000.”

2nd Elkins Parent Arrested on Child Neglect Charges
[WBOY 5/13/21]

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