The 416 children who once led cloistered lives on their church's ranch outside a tiny town in West Texas have spent the past two weeks sleeping on cots, shuffled from shelter to shelter.But on Thursday, a judge was to hear from their attorneys, along with attorneys for their parents and Child Protective Services, on whether the children ought to be returned to the ranch run by a polygamous sect or be placed in permanent foster care.
"Our attorneys are going to take all the evidence we have and make a case for keeping the children in our care," CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said.
Tom Green County Judge Barbara Walther signed an emergency order nearly two weeks ago giving the state custody of the children after a 16-year-old girl called an abuse hot line claiming her husband, a 50-year-old member of the sect, beat and raped her. The girl has yet to be identified by investigators.
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