Texas mom poured bleach on twins and forced them to drink cleaning products in sick torture
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT: Zaikiya Duncan's twin teenagers escaped their home and pleaded for help from a neighbor as they described the twisted torture they'd endured at the hands of their mother
A Texas mother has been found guilty of torturing her teen twins, who escaped from their home after enduring horrific methods of abuse.
Zaikiya Duncan's sick torture routine was uncovered after her 16-year-old twins escaped their home in Cypress, Harris County in the early hours of October 18, 2022. The twins ran to a neighbors home and were captured on ring surveillance camera video pleading for help.
They recounted the unimaginable abuse they'd been forced to endure at the hands of their mother. Footage showed the children covered in bruises, barefoot and partially clothed. They told the neighbor they were starving.
While investigating the incident, Harris County deputies uncovered horrific child abuse. The twin brother and sister were taken to Texas Children’s Hospital for examinations and treatment.
They were found to be “severely malnourished” and had lacerations on their wrists consistent with being restrained with handcuffs. The boy's wrists were blistered and bleeding, with both of his hands swollen, while the girl was also swollen and bleeding from the wrists and her right finger, according to documents obtained by Click2Houston.
The girl also had a gray plastic grocery back tied around her neck, which she said she was using as a shirt, the documents stated. The teenagers allegedly told investigators that they'd been handcuffed to a dolly in the laundry room by their mother.
They described a sickening routine of torture, telling investigators that their mother would pour bleach on them, including around their genital areas, to burn their skin. Duncan was also accused of punishing them for "talking too much" by forcing them to drink toxic household cleaners, according to court documents.
The children said that they could not remember the last time they showered and claimed they weren't allowed to use the bathroom, forcing them to soil themselves. They also told investigators that their mother would use extension cords, curtain rods and metal poles to beat them, court documents state.
Investigators said they saw bruises consistent with those claims. The children further alleged that their mother only fed them mustard sandwiches, relish sandwiches or bologna sandwiches one to three times a week and forced them to drink water from the supply valves used for the washing machine.
Duncan is also accused of forcing the children to take large amounts of Benadryl to make them sleep. On one occasion, she allegedly gave the boy 24 pills at once and he suffered a seizure. After the incident, she allegedly reduced the pills to 20 at a time.
The twins escaped the home after the boy discovered the handcuff key in his mother’s purse. He told investigators that he hid the key in his mouth overnight until she went to sleep.
When the house was quiet, he and his sister unlocked their handcuffs and ran to the neighbor's home. The neighbors contacted police, but by the time officers arrived, 40-year-old Duncan had left the home with the twins' five younger siblings.
Deputies said she likely fled after noticing that the twins had escaped. An Amber Alert was issued for the twins' siblings, ranging in ages from 7 to 14.
Duncan was arrested after she was found in Baton Rouge, Louisiana later that evening with one of the children. She had left the other children with family members. She was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault of a family member causing serious bodily injury.
The Texas mother's other children suffered as well, records show. Duncan has a documented history with Children’s Protective Services, according to authorities.
In 2012, she was accused of three counts of cruelty to juveniles after one of her children, who was five years old at the time, was treated for burns consistent with being submerged in hot water, Louisiana court records show.
Duncan’s boyfriend was also arrested in the 2022 case, but court records indicate his child endangerment charge was disposed. The jury unanimously decided that Duncan was guilty of seriously injuring her twins after just an hour of deliberations.