Known as the "Girl in the Closet," Lauren Kavanaugh's emaciated body was found by officers on June 11, 2001 - weighing just 25 pounds despite being eight years old.
In contrast to the movie's character, Cameron, the true story of the “girl in the closet” centers on an 8-year-old girl named Lauren Kavanaugh. Her mother, Barbara Atkinson, originally attempted to put Lauren up for adoption, and Lauren was in fact placed with adoptive parents for eight months.
Kavanaugh was 8 years old and weighed 25 pounds in 2001 when investigators found her in a Dallas County mobile home closet.
Kavanaugh, now 28, was released from jail Wednesday, county records show. Her court-appointed attorney did not return a call seeking comment. Kavanaugh had faced up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
The girl's mother, Barbara Atkinson, received a life sentence in January. The half-sibling of the abused girl testified during the trial that both her mother and stepfather locked the younger girl away almost every day and night over a period of years and told the other children not to tell anyone.
Lauren was found mentally unfit to stand trial and, three years later, the case was dismissed. Lauren is currently out of jail and reportedly living in Texas with the Kavanaughs. Barbara and Kenneth Atkinson are serving life sentences in prison.
Four of the children eventually were adopted by a family in North Texas, and the eldest child, Blake Strohl, was raised in a foster home in Abilene. The four now range in age from 14 to 19.
Lauren was found by detectives, who spoke with her about the allegations. At first, Lauren said she and the 14-year-old were "just friends," said Detective Bryan Gibbins, however, she later admitted that the conversation did turn sexually explicit after being told that authorities had a transcript.
Following Nancy's death from heat and starvation, the family decides to pack up and leave Nashville for Atlanta, the city they initially lived in and ran away from about eight years ago when Health Services closed in on their house.
It has been 15 years since Lauren Kavanaugh was found tortured and starving in the closet of her family's Texas home, and she still has flashbacks about the horrific, six-year ordeal.
Today, Genie Wiley's whereabouts are unknown; though, if she is still living, she is presumed to be a ward of the state of California, living in an adult care home. As of 2022, Genie would be 65 years old.
Popular new Lifetime movie Girl in the Closet premiered on Lifetime last week, Saturday, March 11, and has since become a fan-favorite. The movie tells the horror-drama story of a 10-year-old girl named Cameron who is adopted by her dangerous aunt.
You will be able to stream Girl in the Closet on Lifetime's website for free (with ads). You can also stream it on-demand via frndly, Hulu, Sling TV, and Philo.
What Is Girl In The Basement Based On? Girl in the Basement is a true story directed by Angel's Elizabeth Rohm and based on the life of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was tortured and held captive by her father, Josef, in the basement of their home in Amstetten, Austria, from 1984 to 2008.
Production. Victor Polster and Lukas Dhont at a Paris premiere of Girl. The film was inspired by Nora Monsecour, a professional dancer and trans woman from Belgium.
While the film changes names, locations and doesn't strictly follow the exact events that occurred in real life, it is tragically based on a true story. In the film, Sara is a stand-in for Elisabeth Fritzl, an Austrian girl who was imprisoned by her father Josef in the basement of her family home.
In the first episode, we see Miles and Flora lock Dani up in a closet. The nanny is obviously upset, but the audience later comes to understand the kids only did this to protect Dani from a ghost that roams the manor's halls after Dani failed to stay in her room after dark.
Why would the children lock Margot in the closet when they know how much the sun means to her? They lock her in the closet because they don't like her. They resent her for having a memory of the sun and by forcing her to miss it, they are getting even with her. Why is the setting of this story so important?
The children run back inside as the sun disappears and it starts storming. At this point, one of them remembers Margot. They let her out of the closet and stand frozen, ashamed over what they have done now that they finally understand what she had been missing.
Lauren Smith-Fields (January 23, 1998 — December 12, 2021) was a Black woman living in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On the morning of Sunday, December 12, 2021, she was allegedly found unresponsive in bed by her Bumble date, Matthew LaFountain.
Lifetime is releasing a string of thriller movies with great actors fighting for their lives. “Girl in the Closet” might be the movie that has us sleeping with the lights on and making sure our blankets cover our feet. The movie premieres on Saturday, March 11 (3/11/2023) at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
The Girl Still in the Closet: The Lauren Kavanaugh Story.
Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-12 (Video 2005) - Erika Ringor as Roxanne - IMDb.
Sisters Amy and Alison, aged 51 and 50 years old respectively, now live in Viriginia, and have families of their own - a somewhat happy ending for those involved in this tragic story.
Marshall's sisters eventually turned up at a church and were returned to their mother, Sandi Chapman.