A disturbing tale of cults, rape, incest and beatings has come out of Seattle. Police have arrested Melford Warren Jr., 43, for horrific crimes of sexual violence against his own children. Last week Warren was arrested on charges that included child rape and abuse against the 12 children he fathered by two different women. The women, identified as Amonjot Jaswal, 28, and Shannon Smith, 41, have also been charged with criminal mistreatment of the children in the cult family.
The children involved in the abuse range in age from infants to a 13-year-old, and according to law enforcement authorities seemed to have been coached not to reveal any information about their abusers. Some of the children referred to Jaswal not as mother but as the “breeder.” Police rescued the children after a raid at a secluded woodland campsite where Warren is accused of raping at least two of the childre ; one of the rapes occurred on the same day police raided the campsite. The other children described horrific tales of abuse that included being beaten with a baseball bat, choked, broken arms, and being threatened with a gun. According to police, a 14-month-old had her arm broken when Warren threw her at a sofa. Before moving to the campsite, the children lived in a house where they were imprisoned in the attic and bathroom as well as denied medical care and starved by the adults.
Warren fled from Washington after a warrant was issued for his arrest and traveled to Miami-Dade County, Florida, where federal marshals tracked him down. Smith and Jaswal pleaded not guilty to mistreating the children. A judge decided to release Jaswal from jail, while Smith is being held on a $50,000 bond. It’s expected that when Warren is extradited back to Washington his bail will be at least $5 million.
