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From: Matheus, Marilyn
Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 3:27 PM
To: Wingo, Karen <Karen.Wingo@dss.sc.gov>; Bryant, Pam <Pam.Bryant@dss.sc.gov>
Subject: Media Request - Hedley FW: FOX CAROLINA SEEKING MORE INFORMATION ON DSS CASE
Hey Marilyn,
Per our phone conversation, this is the report on the alleged incident involving one of the Headley children. The parents have been in contact with us in regards to what they’ve heard happened. They say their son, Connor Vess (there
may be some variation on the spelling and that is the name he goes by), but we are not releasing the name and will heretoafter refer to him as ‘victim’ or ‘the victim’, and they have shared this report claiming it is their son that was the victim in this case
and we’re currently in contact with the Columbia Police Department about this case.
Provided that the following PDF attachement is valid, I am looking for a statement from DSS on this case, but separate from that, I also have specific questions that can be answered separately from the statement:
1)
According to the parents, there have been somewhat similar incidents reported back to the middle-to-end of last year reported against the victim, we’re told, though not to this degree. Is this the first reported incident?
2)
The child is reported to be autistic/special needs, yet is reported to be with children his own age and older. The parents claim that he is being taken advantage of by the children. If this is indeed the case, have any or will any
steps be taken to make the child safer?
3)
Is there any reason to believe that the parents may have coerced or may have otherwise manipulated the child into making these claims? I ask because we were told about another incident that happened last year (yet we were informed about
it only last month), and suddenly another report comes along claiming that the incident happened again and to a greater degree. The timing just seems odd.
4)
The family feels that the investigation into the initial medical abuse claims that prompted the victim and the others being taken from the home has taken too long and has had a disastrous effect on the children. They claim that the
initial reason for the ‘medical abuse’ claim was due to some issues within the home that the family was living at at the time. The family has since moved to a different house and is working towards some bit of normalcy. Is the case any closer to reaching
a resolution?
5)
We’ve received information through some sources (not law enforcement) that the relationship between the heads of the Headley household and that their three other children may be the byproduct of incest. Is there validity to this claim?
Derek Dellinger
Anchor/Reporter, FOX Carolina News
(864) 423-0564
Twitter/Instagram: @derekdlngr
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