They say it takes a village to raise a child. Then there are some people who set out to raise a village of children.
At first glance, that appeared to be the case for Sharen and Michael Gravell. The couple had adopted 11 children, and decided to interview a man named Carlyle Smith for the position of caregiver to the Gravell’s village.
It wasn’t long after entering the Gravell’s house that Carlyle realized that Sharen and Michael were not the parents they appeared to be.
The parents instructed him not to go upstairs where the children slept. Then Sharen referred to the children—who were all black—as “monkeys,” before telling one of the boys to go and lock himself in his cage, after he’d had an accident in his pants.
A cage—these children had cages. Like a dog. Or a circus animal.
Michael threatened each of the kids, saying he’d know if they tried to escape their cages because their fingers would be cut up from the wires.
The interview was traumatizing for Carlyle, who drove away from the house, sobbing. He knew he hadn’t even seen the worst of it.
He didn’t take the job, but Carlyle did do something that would radically change the Gravell kids’ lives forever. He shared what he’d witnessed with his supervisor, and together they alerted authorities. It took a long time for Child Protective Services to act on their behalf, but eventually Sharen and Michael were convicted and spent two years in jail. The adopted children were separated, and many haven’t had any way to get in touch with each other ever since.
Fourteen years later, Simon and Abba—two of the 11 children—shared their stories with Dr. Phil on his show. They’ve come a long way from being locked in cages by their adoptive parents. Though they’ve never met him, the teens know that Carlyle’s actions following his interview are what protected them from a lifetime of abuse.