23-year-old Laura Cummings was barely functional with the mind of an elementary school kid. She and her siblings were beaten by their mother from an early age. But despite reports of abuse going back decades, neither adult nor child services rescued her...
Half-brother Luke Wright is charged with raping Laura and sodomizing her with a broomstick with his mother
One sister was adopted out of the family and is now in college. A brother finally managed to grow up and escape the abuse by joining the Air Force. But neither was allowed to visit Laura in the past few years. And though they reported her abuse to investigators in North Collins, New York, nothing was done.
In the past year that abuse became more sadistic. Police say Laura's mother, 51-year-old Eva Cummings (pictured above), and her half-brother, 31-year-old son Luke Wright, spent the last few months of Laura's life torturing her to death.
They would force her to sleep tied to a chair with a hood over her head. They would beat her, scald her with hot water and shove feces into her face. Both mom and brother would sodomize her with a broomstick. Wright would also rape her.
The abuse, detectives believe, may go all the way back to 1995. But it was all put to an end on January 21, when mom allegedly suffocated Laura to death.
Laura Cummings at age 10. The mentally disabled woman had the mind of a pre-teen.
Curiously, another brother also lived in the home, but he left for work early and wouldn't come home till past 9. Either he didn't know of the torture or turned a blind eye. He hasn't been charged.
Wright and Eva Cummings are now charged with a litany of felonies, including second-degree murder, predatory sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime and endangering a disabled person's welfare.
They are being held without bail. Eva faces upward of 83 years in prison. Wright is looking at 133.
Child and adult protective services officials refuse to talk about their negligence in the case, citing client confidentiality. |
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