WHEN officers arrived at the home of a married couple on a call of suspected abuse, nothing could prepare them for the horrific discovery they eventually made.
Known as the "Girl in the Closet," Lauren Kavanaugh's emaciated body was found by officers on June 11, 2001 - weighing just 25 pounds despite being eight years old.
Miraculously, Lauren, who was believed to have been a toddler because of how small she looked, was alive and rushed to a Dallas, Texas, hospital to be treated.
It was revealed that been locked in a closet for six years by her mother and step-father, Barbara and Kenneth Atkinson.
In those six years, the young girl was only taken out to be sexually and physically abused.
Her organs were shutting down due to starvation and she had been sitting in her own urine and feces for months at a time.
The Atkinsons were convicted of felony injury to a child and are each serving life sentences.
They are up for parole in 2031.
Lauren was born on April 12, 1993, however, her mother, Barbara, had already given her up for adoption.
Sabrina Kavanaugh and her husband, Bill, raised the girl as if she were their own for eight months until Barbara filed a petition for custody of Lauren.
It was revealed that the Kavanaugh's lawyer didn't file the paperwork to terminate Barbara's parental rights and the biological mother - along with her new husband, Kenneth Atkinson - was awarded more and more time with her daughter.
Despite their belief that the Atkinsons were abusing Lauren, her adoptive parents had to relinquish their daughter over time.
Sabrina told The Dallas Morning News that she noticed the area under Lauren's diaper was bright red.
"I don’t think it was diaper rash," she told the outlet. "I think Kenny was already sexually abusing her because she wouldn’t let us touch that diaper."
Lauren was taken to the hospital by Sabrina but doctors wouldn't do a rape kit at the time.
The Kavanaughs gave 45 photos to the judge of Lauren's marks as evidence, but he responded, "You’re doing more harm to this baby with all these pictures than that mother is ever going to do."
Judge Lynn E. Markham awarded the Atkinsons permanent custody of Lauren in 1995 and over the next six years, she faced unspeakable abuse.
At the time, Experts believed that Lauren would never be able to live a normal life but she left many shocked when she graduated from high school in 2013.
However, the trauma from the abuse she suffered from those closest to her shaped the course of her life, eventually leading to her own legal issues.
Lauren, now 29, was arrested by police in 2018 over an allegedly sexually explicit conversation she had with a 14-year-old girl.
Facebook told the Lewisville Police Department about the conversation and the girl's parents were eventually informed.
The teenager said she met Lauren through a now-deleted fan page called The Lauren Kavanaugh Story on Facebook, however, it's unknown when they started communicating.
They began messaging each other on Facebook before later texting one another, but it stopped when Lauren moved away from the area in late 2017.
She moved back the next year and the pair reconnected - Lauren even moved in with the girl's family.
According to the affidavit, the girl said she had sexual encounters with Lauren.
Lauren was found by detectives, who spoke with her about the allegations.
At first, Lauren said she and the 14-year-old were "just friends," said Detective Bryan Gibbins, however, she later admitted that the conversation did turn sexually explicit after being told that authorities had a transcript.
"Lauren also said that was the only time and that she was sorry and learned her lesson," Gibbins wrote.
Then Lauren was asked if she and the girl had been "involved sexually" at other times, causing her to become upset.
"If you’re going to arrest me, arrest me!" she yelled, before saying that she didn't want to talk anymore, read the affidavit.
She was booked into jail and was indicted in early 2019 on sexual assault charges.
If convicted, she could have faced up to 20 years in prison on each count.
However, while in custody, Lauren was found to be incompetent to stand trial and a judge ordered that she be committed to a mental-health institution in September 2020.
She was also slapped with two counts of assault on a public servant and one count of harassment of a public servant, however, the district attorney's office declined to prosecute.
In October 2021, the sexual assault charges against Lauren were dropped as part of a "collaborative effort" between the DA's office and local experts, said prosecutor Lindsey Sheguit.
"We were able to find her a place" to get treatment, said Sheguit.
Lauren was eventually released from jail and, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, said "I don't want to be like my parents.
"That’s my focus. I have that fear of turning out like them because every day I feel it. I have that rage inside like my mother. The only difference is, I’m trying to control it"
