Adoptive Mother Accused Of Locking Children In Basement

Adoptive Mother Accused Of Locking Children In Basement

Police: Basement Had Rooms, Video Cameras

POSTED: 4:21 am MST December 1, 2006

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The adoptive mother of six children whom police suspect were locked in the basement so they wouldn't leave or take food from the pantry faces charges of child abuse.

Samia Fam, 47, was served a summons Thursday on suspicion of six misdemeanor counts of child abuse and six counts of false imprisonment, police said. Her husband, William Fam, 59, was served a summons last week on suspicion of the same counts.

Four boys and two girls, ages 7 to 16, were taken into custody by the El Paso County Department of Human Services.

Police began investigating Nov. 16, after people at the school of one 14-year-old boy noticed he had scratches and bruises.

"It appears that there were periods of time when the children were locked in the basement of this residents," said Sgt. Howard Black of the Colorado Springs Police Department. "The only way they were able to get out of the basement of the residence is by the mother or the father unlocking the door."

Investigators learned that the children had rooms in the finished basement, which has a bathroom and video cameras that the Fams used to monitor the rooms, police said.

Black said it appeared for at least several months the children were locked up overnight and sometimes on the weekends. Police were investigating whether anyone was locked up for more than 12 hours, which could raise the false imprisonment counts to a felony.

The adoptive father of the children, William Fam, 59, also faces charges in the same case. He faces six counts of child abuse and six counts of false imprisonment.

According to court documents, Fams are divorced and a restraining order was issued against William Fam in 1998. Ten years earlier, William Fam had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault for an incident that occurred on Christmas Day.

Neighbors said they often saw the children sitting on the front porch of the home doing their homework.

"They couldn't get access to the house and on cold days they weren't allowed in because the parents weren't home and they don't get home until around 5:30 or 6," said neighbor Jimmy Senamontry.