Lynn claimed she fell victim to abuse when she was still in diapers. For two sisters who were part of a family of 11 children that frequently relocated between Washington state and South Dakota, the threat they faced was not from strangers, as they had been cautioned by their church. Instead, it emanated from their brothers residing in the adjoining bedroom. Her two elder sisters informed her about their discovery of one of their siblings engaging in inappropriate behavior with her. Lynn’s parents did not take any action when their daughters informed them about the abuse; it persisted until he was 10 years old and she was 10 years old. Years after the events, Lynn’s sisters provided a heartbreaking reason for their brother’s conduct: They suspected he had experienced sexual abuse, but at the hands of a neighbor. Katherine, the family’s second-youngest member, claimed the abuse began when she was approximately 2 years old. Her abuse occurred at the hands of another sibling, specifically her brother. In an interview, she revealed that he also experienced abuse at the hands of an elder cousin. Subsequently, the two sisters began to imitate the pattern. At the age of 10, Lynn recounted, she led her younger sibling to the back of a shed and removed his trousers. Although she can’t recall her subsequent actions, she retains the memory of his fleeing.
