How Could You? Hall of Shame-Annie Bynes, Chasity Mack, and Latosha Rountree

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 Hephzibah, Georgia,foster mother and guardian Annie Bynes, 61, “was sentenced last month by Superior Court Judge Jesse C. Stone to four years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of cruelty to children. The four-year prison terms on each count will be served concurrently, or at the same time.”

“She also received six years of probation and agreed to testify in future court proceedings. She was permanently barred from serving as a foster parent in Georgia.”

“Two women who lived in a Hephzibah foster home where two young brothers were starved, burned with scalding water and locked in a windowless bathroom have been arrested on grand jury indictments.

The arrests come just four weeks after the boys’ foster mother pleaded guilty to child cruelty and agreed to testify truthfully in future court proceedings.

Chasity Mack, 39, and Latosha Rountree, 45, were arrested Friday on charges accusing them of abusing the boys, then 8 and 11, over a monthlong period in early 2022.

The allegations describe a horrifying ordeal for two children who depended on the adults in their household for their care and safety. On March 13, 2022, the boys were found malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from multiple burns, according to medical findings cited in the original arrest warrants. Their injuries included painful blisters and lesions across their bodies.”

“The indictments accuse Rountree and Mack of locking both boys in a windowless bathroom for prolonged periods, withholding food to the point of malnutrition and starvation, and causing serious injuries to their backs, arms and legs.

Both women face charges of first-degree cruelty to children, false imprisonment and aggravated battery-family violence involving the boys. Rountree faces two additional counts of first-degree cruelty to children accusing her of burning each boy with scalding water.

The indictments allege the abuse occurred between Feb. 13 and March 13, 2022, while the women had responsibility for or access to the children in the same household.”

“Medical examinations painted a troubling picture of the children’s condition. Both boys were underweight and anemic because of malnutrition and dehydration, according to the reports. Their stomachs protruded, a condition the warrants described as medically indicative of malnutrition and dehydration.

The children also had multiple burn wounds in different stages of healing. The indictments describe painful blisters and lesions on one boy’s buttocks, back, arms and knuckles. The other boy allegedly suffered similar injuries on his arms, legs and back.

For children so young, the combination of severe malnutrition and extensive injuries raised grave questions about what had been happening inside the home and how long their suffering had gone unnoticed.”

New cruelty arrests in case of brothers who were starved and scalded at Hephzibah foster home

[The Augusta Press 10/19/26 by Greg Rickabough]

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