Cypress mother convicted in 2022 child abuse case of twin teenagers
Zaikiya Duncan was convicted by a jury on two counts of aggravated assault of a family member causing serious bodily injury.
A mother was found guilty of torturing her teen twins who escaped their Cypress home in handcuffs in 2022.
Zaikiya Duncan was convicted by a jury on two counts of aggravated assault of a family member causing serious bodily injury.
What happened
In the early morning hours of October 18, 2022, the 16-year-old twins escaped a home in the 8700 block of Marina Alto Lane, running to a neighbor’s house for help.
They disclosed they were enduring unimaginable abuse at the hands of their mother, Zaikiya Duncan.
Ring surveillance camera video from that morning shows the twins standing on their neighbor’s doorstep, pleading for help.
The children were covered in bruises, barefoot and partially clothed. They also told the woman they were starving.
After seeing visible signs of abuse, the neighbor contacted authorities, but by the time Harris County Precinct 5 Constables arrived, the 40-year-old mother and the twins’ five younger siblings had all left their home. Deputies said Duncan likely fled after realizing the twins had escaped.
An Amber Alert was issued for the children, ranging in ages from 7 to 14, and Duncan was located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana later that evening. She was taken into custody and only one child was with her at the time. She had dropped the other children off with family members.
In Harris County, investigators uncovered horrific abuse regarding the twins.
The brother and sister were taken to Texas Children’s Hospital for examinations and treatment.
The findings were quite disturbing.
It was determined that the twins were “severely malnourished” and had lacerations on their wrists consistent with being restrained with handcuffs.
According to documents, the boy’s wrists had blisters and were bleeding, and both of his hands were swollen. The girl was also swollen and bleeding from the wrists and her right finger. The girl had a gray plastic grocery bag tied around her neck, which she said she was using as a shirt.
The children allegedly told investigators that their mother handcuffed them to a dolly in the laundry room. They said she would pour bleach on them, including around their genital areas, causing their skin to burn. She is also accused of forcing them to drink dangerous household cleaners if they “talked too much,” according to court documents.
Documents state the children said they could not remember the last time they had taken a shower and were denied access to a bathroom, forcing them to soil themselves.
In addition, they said their mother would beat them with extension cords, curtain rods and metal poles. Investigators saw bruises that were consistent with those claims.
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For food, the children said their mother only fed them mustard sandwiches, relish sandwiches or bologna sandwiches one to three times a week. She also forced them to drink water from the supply valves used for the washing machine, according to investigators.
The mother is also accused of forcing her children to take large amounts of Benadryl to make them to go to sleep. Once, after allegedly being given 24 pills at once, the boy suffered a seizure. After that, his mother allegedly reduced the amount to 20 pills for him to ingest at one time.
The twins seized the opportunity to get away when the twin boy found the handcuff key in his mother’s purse. He told investigators that he hid the key in his mouth overnight until she went to sleep.
Once the house was quiet, he and his sister unlocked themselves and made their escape, bringing an end to that phase of their long ordeal.
Records show the other children suffered as well. Authorities said Duncan has a documented history with Children’s Protective Services.
Louisiana court records show Duncan was accused in 2012 of three counts of cruelty to juveniles after one of her children, who was 5 years old at the time, was treated for burns consistent with being submerged in hot water. The child also allegedly regularly slept on a closet floor with boards in front of the door to stop them from “escaping and stealing food from the kitchen.”
Duncan’s boyfriend was also arrested in the case, but court records indicate his child endangerment charge was disposed.
The trial
It took the jury about an hour to unanimously decide that Zaikiya Duncan was guilty of seriously hurting her twins.
During the trial, at least one of the teens took the stand, describing the horror and torture they experienced at the hands of their mother.
During closing arguments, Duncan’s defense denied many of these claims, saying Duncan only admits to whipping her children with a belt if it was warranted.
But the state’s evidence was strong enough to prove to the jury Duncan’s guilt.
Duncan is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Monday.
