Hana Grace-Rose Williams was found dead just after midnight on May 12, naked and wrapped in an old sheet, face down with her mouth in the mud, in her backyard, in rainy 42 degree weather. She was only 13 years old and had been living with her adoptive parents since coming to America from Ethiopia in 2008. The cause of death was hypothermia.
After her death, the hospital and coroner called in Child Protective Services, marking the first time the agency was notified about any of the seven biological or two adopted Williams children, said Sherry Hill, a spokeswoman for Washington state's Children's Administration. "We were concerned at the time of Hana's death, as were the medical professionals, that it appeared she had experienced significant weight loss and that she had died from hypothermia," Hill said.
The eight surviving children were placed into foster care in mid-July after the Williams parents refused to allow them to speak with investigators privately, she said. Their oldest son has since turned 18 and decided to move back home. A 10-year-old Ethiopian-born son is hearing-impaired and joined the family at the same time as Hana, but was not her biological sibling, Hill said. "He was treated nearly as badly as Hana was: having food withheld for punishment, being hit with a plumbing cord, forcing him out in the cold for punishment," she said.
The Williams children had been homeschooled, but now some are attending public schools, Hill said. Each has been placed in a foster home with at least one sibling, she added, to make the adjustment easier. All of the children were very isolated and had very little contact with non-family members, Hill said. They lived in a gated community in a rural area on about 5 acres.
Larry and Carri Williams of Sedro-Woolley, Washington, a small town about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, Canada, were arrested on Thursday, September 29 and jailed on $500,000 bond. Each was charged with Homicide by Abuse and Assault of a Child in the First Degree. Charging documents in the murder case against the Williams show Hana was the victim of ongoing abuse and neglect, a corporal punishment style of parenting straight out of a book sold on Amazon.com. The book is titled "To Train Up A Child."
There is currently a Petition Drive at Change.Org directed at Amazon requesting that they review their decision to stock this book, "To Train Up A Child", by Michael and Debi Pearl, or any other book or product which advises the physical abuse of children.
To sign the petition go here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-refuse-to-carry-books-which-advocate-the-physical-abuse-of-childrenTo read the "Probable Cause" document on the investigation of Hana's death and Immanuel's abuse go here:
Skagit County couple charged with death of adopted child
http://www.king5.com/news/crime/Skagit-County-couple-charged-in-death-of-adopted-child-130822743.htmlTo find the link to join the FaceBook Group which has been actively waging a campaign all summer long to get conclusive answers from Skagit County authorities and Justice for Hana, go here:
Ethiopian community wants answers in girl's death
http://www.king5.com/news/Ethiopian-community-concerned-about-death-of-13-year-old-girl-127624458.htmlMurder charges for parents who left girl outside
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016361753_hana30m.html