How Could You? Hall of Shame-Diane and Timothy Combs UPDATED

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 Aurora, Indiana, foster and adoptive parents Diane and Timothy Combs “are in jail after being accused of abusing multiple kids in their home.

Investigators are calling the home of Diane and Timothy Combs a house of horrors for multiple foster children.

Accusations of child abuse landed the two in jail over the holiday weekend.

The Combs face a total of 22 different counts. Some counts are against both of them together, and some of them are individual charges.

Prosecuting attorney Lynn Deddens said the couple has been fostering since February 2013.

“From 2014 to present, they fostered over 38 children,” Deddens said.

The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office received a concerning phone call of possible abuse. During a visit, they found eight kids, videos and pictures, which led to the couple’s arrest Friday.

The pictures and video show repeated instances of possible abuse from December 2016 to July 2018 against eight children ages 2 to 16.

Four were foster kids in the home at the time.

The couple were babysitting three of the children and a 16-year-old is an adopted child who has a disability.

“One of the foster children … gave some detailed descriptions on what she had witnessed, which was Diane Combs smacking one of the minors, who was a 6-year-old, in the face, kicking them in the face, kicking them in the leg,” Deddens said. “They also observed her husband Tim, smack another one of the kids across the face and grab the hair of another child.”

Affidavits from children describe multiple beatings. Photos and video show a child being punished by putting his dirty diaper in his mouth.

“He was 6 years old. He was noted in the affidavit saying, ‘When she’s mean, we pee our pants at night; she let us do squats and we have diapers in our mouth — pee diapers,” Deddens said.

All of the children have been removed from the home. The Combs could be facing more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

The couple is in jail on $250,000 bond and an additional $75,000 cash bond.

Investigators are still looking for any other potential victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s department.

The Combs will be back in court Oct. 5.”

Indiana foster parents accused of abusing several children in their home

[WlWt 9/4/18 by Alexis Rogers]

“Both adults were hit with several charges, including aggravated battery and domestic battery, among others, Fox 19 reported.”

Foster parents accused of abusing kids, forcing child to put dirty diaper in mouth

[Ny Post 9/6/18 by Elizabeth Zwirz]

“The oldest child is the couple’s adopted daughter. She is 16-years-old, and has intellectual and physical disabilities. The other seven children ranged in age from 2 to 8-years-old.

Timothy, 59, faces charges of:

• Aggravated battery that causes serious permanent disfigurement
• Domestic battery against a disabled person with bodily injury
• Battery resulting in bodily injury of a person under 14-years-old
• Domestic battery committed in the presence of a child younger than 16-years-old

Diane, 55, faces charges of:

• Aggravated battery and knowingly inflicting injury that creates a substantial risk of death
• Domestic battery against a disabled person causing bodily injury
• Domestic battery with bodily injury to a person under 14-years-old
• Battery on a child
• Domestic battery by bodily waste
• Battery by bodily waste when the victim is 14-years-old, strangulation
• Sexual battery

Authorities told WXIX the arrests came after one of the children recorded video of the abuse and showed it to another person who then called the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department.

The video shows Diane slapping a naked 6-year-old boy, causing him to fall to the floor. She then slaps him again and forces him to put a dirty diaper into his mouth,.

The children told investigators anyone who wet the bed had to put their diaper into their mouth.

The court documents detailed other abuse, including “whoopings,” getting dropped on their heads, and causing injury to their “private parts.”

The abuse detailed in court documents occurred between December 2016 and July 2018.”

“They’re currently being held in the jail on a $100,000 bond. Their next court appearance is scheduled for October 15.”

Couple accused of abusing foster children, forcing them to put dirty diapers in mouths

[WREG 9/5/18 ]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: A search of the Indiana Court case records shows that Diane and Timothy will have a jury trial on 9/9/19 .

Update 2: “A couple in Dearborn County, Indiana will each spend more than a decade behind bars for “horrific” abuse against foster children in their care.

Police arrested Diane and Timothy Combs last year. At the time of their arrests, there were eight children in their Aurora home: four foster children, one adopted child, and three children they were babysitting.

Prosecutor Lynn Deddens says the investigation began when a teenage foster child borrowed a friend’s phone and recorded the abuse. The friend showed his mom, and she contacted the sheriff’s office.

The video shows Diane slapping a naked 6-year-old boy, causing him to fall to the floor. She then slaps him again and forces him to put a dirty diaper into his mouth,

The children told investigators anyone who wet the bed had to put their diaper into their mouth.

The court documents detailed other abuse, including “whoopings,” getting dropped on their heads, and causing injury to their “private parts.”

The couple fostered 38 different children since 2014.

“This is one of the most egregious cases I have come across in my time as Prosecutor. These children are the most vulnerable among all children we strive to protect. They were abused by the very people entrusted with their care after suffering from abuse and neglect which led to their removal from their biological families,” Deddens said.

The couple was sentenced this month.

On September 5, Tim pleaded guilty to three counts of battery, as level 5 felonies. He was sentenced to 18 years with five suspended to probation.

Diane was sentenced on September 17 after pleading guilty to multiple counts, including aggravated battery, as level 3 felonies. A judge sentenced her to 20 years in prison followed by 12 years on probation.

“These convictions were based upon multiple documented instances of abuse, many of which were caught on video,” Deddens said. “I am thankful for the bravery of one child whose actions likely saved the lives of the other children in the home and of the diligent work by the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department in investigating this case. Thanks to these efforts, these individuals will now spend time behind bars for their heinous crimes.””

https://fox59.com/2019/09/18/indiana-foster-parents-sentenced-after-egregious-child-abuse-caught-on-camera/

[Fox 59 9/18/19]