Couple accused of subjecting three orphaned children to severe abuse in West Virginia home

Investigators say Erica Lynn Sayre and Clifford Gale Sayre subjected three orphaned children in Evans, West Virginia, to years of extreme physical and emotional abuse. The children described being beaten, strangled, denied food, water, and bathroom access, and forced to endure dirty cat litter and dog feces in their sleeping areas. Additional punishments included running barefoot on a gravel driveway and having hair cut with a razor while restrained.

Sheriff Ross H. Mellinger called the dwelling a “real-life house of horrors” and noted the children’s injuries matched their testimonies. The trio has been taken into protective custody, and Erica faces three counts of child abuse resulting in bodily injury and three counts of child neglect, while Clifford faces similar neglect charges. The circumstances surrounding the death of the children’s biological parents remain unclear.