Kids in Texas sect 'suffered neglect, abuse'

A dozen girls were sexually abused at a polygamist group's ranch targeted in a high-profile raid last spring, and parents neglected more than 250 other children living there by doing nothing to protect them from becoming future victims, Texas child welfare officials said in a report.

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in a report released on Tuesday concluded there was evidence that 12 girls, ages 12 to 15, were "spiritually" married to adult men in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), which runs the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado. Seven of them had one or more children, the report said.

An additional 262 children were listed as neglected because the agency said their parents knew there was sexual abuse in the household but did not move to protect the children from possible abuse.