Luck played role in rescue of abused children in Minersville

Apr. 18—MINERSVILLE — When a 12-year-old Minersville boy escaped his home of torture, he headed toward a place he knew would be safe — a school.

As the boy walked away from 321 St. Francis St., he sought help not only for himself but also for his 11-year-old brother and 9-year-old sister.

"He saw the opportunity and he took it," Minersville Police Chief Michael Combs said. "The fact that he thought, 'if I go near a school, maybe someone will help me,' tells me he knows school is a safe place."

That day, March 10, would be the last day the boy and his siblings would be subject to the torture and abuse afflicted on them, allegedly by their father, stepmother and stepgrandmother. It included beatings, being thrown down stairs, being fed, often just scraps, "once every couple days," and holding a jar outside a window of their attic prison to collect rainwater to drink.

Todd Richter II, 32; his fiancee, Jennifer Yost, 27; and the woman's mother, Wendy Yost, 51, were arrested on April 8 and charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and other crimes and committed to Schuylkill County Prison without bail.

Combs said the abuse of the three children, one of the worst cases he's witnessed in 40 years of police work, occurred between March 2019 and March 2021.

Combs said his department is looking into the possibility the destructive situation could have been discovered sooner.

"Did our system fail and, if so, why?" the chief said.

Educators are required to report any suspected cases of abuse and children are told repeatedly they need not be afraid to report any such incident to a teacher, administrator or counselor. But in this case the children were home schooled and did not have the opportunity to interact with anyone other than their abusers, Combs said.

He said children are often afraid to talk in front of their abusers, which could be the reason teachers in their online schooling did not suspect anything.

"If there is a problem with their school work, who does the school contact? Their parents, who in this case were their abusers," he said.

A citizen's concern

Combs said as the oldest boy wandered confused, he went to the area near a Minersville school where he was seen walking aimlessly by a woman who has two small children of her own.

The chief said the woman asked the boy if he was OK and when he said no, she took him into her home, realized his condition and called 911. That, according to Combs, may have saved the lives of all three children.

"Most people would not have given it a second thought," he said about seeing the boy on the street. "A citizen's concern for this child broke this case open. Somebody cared, thank God."

Combs said that call to 911 is what allowed police and Schuylkill County Children & Youth Services to obtain an emergency custody order and take the children from the home as the investigation got underway.

"By her reaching out to him probably saved these kids," Combs said. "We got them and they're safe and they're alive.

"If this woman did not do what she did and the abuse was not recognized," he continued, "these kids would have been dead. I truly believe that."

'Don't tell my parents'

The woman who helped the boy, who did not want to be identified, said she first saw him pacing aimlessly between her vehicles.

"I saw he had a black eye and thought he got into a fight, so I asked him if he was OK," she said. "He said no and started to cry."

The woman said she got the boy to come into her house, but he was afraid to talk.

"I was trying to reassure him and it took a while for him to open up," she said, saying she knew something was wrong. "He was dehydrated, he had chapped lips and you could see he was hungry."

"All he kept saying is, 'don't tell my parents, don't take me back there,' " the woman said. "I knew this kid was beaten."

The woman said she only thought the boy had been in a fight and could not imagine that he was beaten, and especially by his parents.

After he had something to eat, the boy began to speak about the situation. He was more concerned for his brother and sister than he was for himself, she said.

"All he cared about was his siblings. That was very heartwarming to me," the woman said. "He was so well mannered, he was so sweet. My heart went out to him."

The woman said everything fell into place that day allowing her to be there for the child and start the beginning to the end of his nightmare.

"He just happened to pick the right area, we just happened to be home and I just happened to see him," she said.

Though a traumatic situation, the woman said she would do it all again.

"I have no regrets. This was an opportunity to save a child," she said.

Hearing delayed

A preliminary hearing for Richter and the Yosts was originally scheduled for Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon. The hearing was continued and no new date has been set.

In denying bail at their arraignments, Plachko called the allegations against the defendants "the most serious, disturbing and heart-wrenching" he has seen in his 30 years on the bench.