Kriti Mehrotra
It was around 1995 when the entire world turned upside down for the Kavanaugh family as their adopted daughter was unexpectedly taken away from them at the tender age of two. Lauren Kavanaugh was actually returned to her biological mother, yet no one could have ever imagined the ensuing six years would be full of nothing but unimaginable horrors for the young girl. Her tale has since been chronicled in Lifetime’s ‘Girl in the Closet,’ underscoring the way she was abused at the hands of those naturally predisposed as well as responsible for taking care of her.
Lauren Kavanaugh Endured Severe Trauma as a Child
Although born on April 12, 1993, in Dallas County, Texas, to Barbara Catherine Calhoun as one of her many children, Lauren Kavanaugh’s parents from day one were Sabrina and Bill Kavanaugh. That’s because the couple had gone down the route of private adoption, through which they were able to sign papers for her on the fateful day itself before getting to take her home a mere day later. According to records, the baby’s biological mother had initially asserted she could not care for her, only to change her mind around 8 months later and then file for primary custody.
The lawyers in charge of overseeing the adoption process had reportedly failed to file the proper paperwork terminating Barbara’s maternal rights, so a judge ultimately ruled in her favor. Therefore, the last time Sabrina and Bill got to see their healthy, movie-loving, outdoorsy little girl before she was taken away from them was on her 2nd birthday, which they celebrated together. The adopted mother already had concerns by this point because she had noticed a bloody rash on the child’s diaper after a court-ordered visit to Barbara and her then-husband, Kenneth Atkinson.
Sabrina was sure this was a sign of sexual assault, so she immediately rushed Lauren to a hospital, but said they refused to perform a rape kit test because it could harm the young girl. Thus, she could do nothing as Barbara and Kenneth were awarded full legal custody, resulting in Lauren’s new home becoming a trailer in Hutchins that she shared with her parents as well as five siblings. What no one could have imagined was that she would be confined to a lice-infested 4-by-8-foot closet, all the while also being barely fed, physically hurt, and allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted.
Lauren Kavanaugh’s Nightmare Lasted 6 Years
While it’s true that Lauren was just a child at the time, she still vividly remembers wanting to get out of the closet and get outdoors for some fresh air, but not being able to, no matter what she did. “It was always dark,” she said. “I didn’t get fed. I didn’t get to eat. I had to go to the bathroom in the closet, where I slept,” meaning the place she spent most of her time was also covered in feces. As if that’s not enough, she was even tortured through with physical as well as verbal beatings, with her stepfather in one instance going as far as to pretend to shoot her right in the head.
As per Lauren’s statements, Kenneth reportedly kept a gun at his bedside at all times, so he allegedly placed it on Lauren’s temple and pretended to pull the trigger so as to ensure she didn’t step out of line. Moreover, she claimed, “My mom would bring home guys or girls to have sex with me. If I screamed or yelled, that really made them mad. My parents thought it was hilarious. And I had to do what they said, so I could stay alive.” Her condition in confinement was reportedly so bad that she later needed surgery for internal injuries.
It wasn’t until June 11, 2001, that 8-year-old Lauren was finally rescued after Kenneth confessed to a neighbor, who immediately contacted the police and relayed everything to ensure quick action. By this point, though, the young girl was so malnourished she not only weighed just 25 lbs but had also stopped growing owing to several medical complications, including esophagus and genital injuries. Her speech was underdeveloped, too, right along with her learning capabilities, plus she was terrified of new situations as well as strangers. Nevertheless, the Kavanaughs were immediately at her bedside as they began the process of formally adopting her again.
Lauren Kavanaugh is Doing Her Best to Move Forward in Life
While Lauren Kavanaugh endured severe trauma from her ordeal, the sincere efforts of her adoptive parents and loved ones after they got custody in July 2002 gradually made her feel comfortable. From there, her mother and stepfather were convicted, whereas she was able to recover from a lot of her physical as well as developmental issues, only for tragedy to strike again in August 2005. She was sexually assaulted by a relative, her cousin’s husband, in the family barn during her first-ever sleepover. He was later sentenced to prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography. This led to a lot of her issues resurfacing to such an extent that she was triggered by even minor things, shortly following which she was diagnosed with depression.
Lauren has admittedly attempted to die by suicide over 30 times because she still has bad days with explicit flashbacks, yet she continues to fight on for her loved ones. Per reports, she was bullied by her peers in school, yet she still managed to graduate in 2013 at the age of 20 before enrolling at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. According to reports, the Texan signed up for classes in remedial reading and writing so as to learn how to not only deal with her trauma better but also possibly help others through their ordeals. Then, it appears as if she found love and moved in with her then-girlfriend while planning to hopefully kickstart a career as either a counselor or an educator so as to lead a healthy, independent life.
However, things changed in December 2018, as Lauren was arrested in connection with allegations of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl whom she had met online while offering support to fellow abuse victims. She was later deemed “incompetent” to stand trial for the same, so the court ordered her to be admitted to a mental health facility in 2020 to see if her competency could be restored. She was reassessed in August 2021, and while the results of this particular examination have not been made public, the charges against her were ultimately dismissed in October of the same year. Since then, Lauren has chosen to remain well away from the limelight, so we can only assume she continues to be based in Texas, likely close to her beloved adoptive parents in Canton.
Read More: Lifetime’s Girl in the Closet’s True Story, Explained
