How Could You? Hall of Shame-Julie Barfield and Kim Brown-Barfield

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 Columbus, Ohio, adoptive mothers, Julie Barfield, 47, and Kim Brown-Barfield, 43, “were each indicted on five counts of endangering children and one count of strangulation” after “two of their adopted children ran away and later told authorities they had been abused.”

“In court on Monday, both women pleaded not guilty and their bonds were set at $750,000.

According to documents filed in Franklin County Municipal Court, Brown-Barfield called 911 on May 18 to report the children, ages 8 and 10, missing from their home in the …. in south Columbus.

A Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy located the children at a home on Spruce Street, one street over from their home, after being notified by a resident there.

According to court documents, the children told the deputy they ran away from home because they were being physically abused. The deputy observed injuries, including a bloody lip and marks on the stomach of one child, which the child reported came from being slammed into a wall earlier in the day, court documents say.

FSCO detectives took the children to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for evaluation, after which the children reported they had been burned by hot water earlier in the day. During an interview with a detective, the 10-year-old reported their parents have also beaten them with a belt and tied their hands behind their backs, court documents say. They also said they were malnourished by their parents, according to court documents.”

“The 8-year-old reported the same abuse to detectives in a later interview.

Franklin County Children Services took custody of six other children at the home, ranging in age from 1 to 11.”

2 Columbus mothers indicted on child abuse charges

[10 TV 6/1/26 by Rochelle Alleyne]

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