Parents Awarded Custody In Union Abuse Case

A Jonesville couple who were accused of starving their two adopted children were awarded custody by a Family Court judge on Wednesday.John and Connie Oliver's children were taken into state custody after police found the 12-year-old girl, who weighed 40 pounds, and her then-10-year-old brother, who weighed 45 pounds, unattended at a church playground.The Oliver's attorney Doug Brannon argued this week that the children suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.He also said the children have gained just a few pounds while in state custody.The children have been in protective custody since Sept. 23 and will be returned to the Olivers on Dec. 20.Tuesday, a former Union County deputy testified that she found the children at the church playground. The former sergeant said that the children looked like they had not been fed in months.Investigators said the children told them they were locked in their rooms to keep them from eating.