Documents reveal disturbing alleged abuse that includes beatings with belts, metal objects and even starvation involving two Effingham County teens. We’re getting answers about why The Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) closed their case.

A neighbor told police Mary Crocker was missing and believed to be dead. When searching for her, they also discovered the body of her brother, Elwyn, who investigators now believe was killed two years before also at the age of 14. Neither of them was reported missing.

Several family members face charges including the children’s father, Elwyn Crocker Sr., his wife, Candace, her brother, Mark Wright, their mother, Kim Wright, and her boyfriend Roy Prater.

All are being charged with cruelty to children in the first degree. And all except Mark Wright are being charged with concealing the death of another. It’s still unclear how the kids were killed.

Documents reveal DFCS had been involved with the Crocker family since 2012 immediately after Candace and Elwyn Crocker moved to Effingham County from South Carolina.

In March 2012, deputies were called to the home of the step-grandmother Kim Wright, after a stranger reported seeing marks and bruises on Elwyn Jr’s face. Documents reveal, Jr., says this was punishment by his step-uncle Mark Wright.

“We completed our investigation provided the support to the family to include family counseling. worked with Jr., on coping skills, engaged the family with the school as well to further support them in that endeavor as well. Once we saw that the family completed their case plan successfully we then closed our case in 2013,” Region 12 Director, Shelia Dease- Dinkins said.

She says there was no interaction with the family after that but it was safe for them to say they were thriving and moving forward.

Fast forward to March 2017 the documents show a fellow student learning about child abuse in class, decided to reveal to a school counselor what she had witnessed, a year earlier. She said Jr., had been beaten by his step-grandmother Kim Wright.

“The child that made the report based upon information that happened in 2016. Based upon our policy since there was no impending or imminent danger at that time then it was decided that the case would be screened out,” Dinkins said.

Many are now questioning that decision, given that there was a prior history of alleged abuse. DCFS says they are now taking a look at their policies to see if they need to strengthen their intake process to protect children.

News 3 asked if they are partially responsible and if they should have done more to protect these two teens. They say they are confident in the decision they made in 2013 and 2017 because they followed their policies.

DFCS says they are grieving with the entire community but they want people to remember if you see something or suspect something to say something. “It takes a village to raise a child and it’s not just the child welfare agency responsibility but it’s every human being every adult human being responsibility in order to protect children,” Dinkins said.